ALBANYLAW

Richard Curreri ’76:Skilled mediatorputs New York Citytransit back ontrack, pg.8

SPRING 06: Protecting the Levi’s brand; Driving the Dow Jones Islamic Market Indexes; Building a courtstructure in Iraq; Managing a leading legal publisher; From courtroom to Fox newsroom; and more . . .

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CHAIRMANHarry L. Robinson, Esq. ’65Cohoes, N.Y.

SECRETARYE. Stewart Jones, Jr., Esq. ’66Troy, N.Y.

VICE CHAIRHon. Erik E. Joh ’70Boynton Beach, Fla.

TREASURERMary Ann McGinn, Esq. ’83Albany, N.Y.

MEMBERSM. Diane Bodman, Esq. ’72Washington, D.C.

William A. Brewer III, Esq. ’77Dallas, Tex.

Hon. Anthony V. Cardona ’70Albany, N.Y.

Barbara D. Cottrell, Esq. ’84Albany, N.Y.

Harry J. D’Agostino, Esq. ’55Colonie, N.Y.

Lisa Gootee, Esq. ’04New York, N.Y.

J. K. Hage III, Esq. ’78Utica, N.Y.

Susan M. Halpern, Esq. ’83Dallas, Tex.

Harold Hanson, Esq. ’66Bonita Springs, Fla.

Bernard Kaplowitz, Esq. ’62Delmar, N.Y.

Janet K. Kealy, Esq. ’03Hudson, N.Y.

James E. Kelly, Esq. ’83Garden City, N.Y.

Peter C. Kopff, Esq. ’75New York, N.Y.

Hon. Bernard J. Malone, Jr. ’72Albany, N.Y.

Robert C. Miller, Esq. ’68Clifton Park, N.Y.

Thomas J. Mullin, Esq. ’76Rochester, N.Y.

William F. Pendergast, Esq. ’72Washington, D.C.

James T. Potter, Esq. ’80Albany, N.Y.

William E. Redmond, Esq. ’55Albany, N.Y.

Richard A. Reed, Esq. ’81Albany, N.Y.

Hon. John L. Sampson ’91Albany, N.Y.

Thomas M. Santoro, Esq. ’72Miami, Fla.

Victoria M. Stanton, Esq. ’87Glenmont, N.Y.

Robert B. Stiles, Esq. ’76Rochester, N.Y.

Dale M. Thuillez, Esq. ’72Albany, N.Y.

Hon. Randolph F. Treece ’76Albany, N.Y.

Allen J. Vickey, Esq. ’05Albany, N.Y.

Donna E. Wardlaw, Esq. ’77Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Stephen P. Younger, Esq. ’82New York, N.Y.

EX OFFICIO:Thomas F. GuernseyPresident and Dean Albany, N.Y.

EMERITI Hon. Richard J. Bartlett Glens Falls, N.Y.

Charlotte S. Buchanan, Esq. ’80Glenmont, N.Y.

Donald D. DeAngelis, Esq. ’60Delmar, N.Y.

Robert V. Gianniny, Esq. ’53Rochester, N.Y.

Jonathan P. Harvey, Esq. ’66Albany, N.Y.

Stephen M. Kiernan, Esq. ’62Voorheesville, N.Y.

Matthew H. Mataraso, Esq. ’58Albany, N.Y.

Hon. Thomas J. McAvoy ’64Binghamton, N.Y.

Frank H. Penski, Esq. ’74New York, N.Y.

Peter M. Pryor, Esq. ’54Albany, N.Y.

Edgar A. Sandman, Esq. ’46Naples, Fla.

Hon. Michael E. Sweeney ’38Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

David S. Williams, Esq. ’42Slingerlands, N.Y.

John J. Yanas, Esq. ’42Albany, N.Y.

ALBANY LAW SCHOOL OF UNION UNIVERSITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES

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ALBANYLAWF E A T U R E S

8 KEEPING THINGS ROLLING IN THE BIG APPLERichard Curreri ’76 skillfully mediates an end to the New York City transit strike.

12 NEW BRAND REFLECTS ALBANY LAW’S VISION, STRENGTHSNew strategies for communicating the School’s message.

14 CROSSING RECENT GENERATIONSAlumni reflect on the School and changing times.

40 IN MEMORY OF MARTY SILVERMAN ’36Notes for a man who changed Albany Law School.

D E P A R T M E N T S

2 IN BRIEF

11 BACK THEN

18 CAMPUS FACES

20 FACULTY NOTES

23 CLASS NOTES

34 ALUMNI NEWS

36 IN MEMORIAM

PRESIDENT AND DEAN

Thomas F. Guernsey

VICE PRESIDENT OF INSTITUTIONAL

ADVANCEMENT

Helen Adams-Keane

EDITOR

David Singer

ASSISTANT EDITOR

Nicole Soucy

DIRECTOR, ALUMNI AFFAIRS

Christina Sebastian

AlbanyLaw Magazine is published twice a year.

80 New Scotland Avenue Albany, New York 12208-3494518-445-2311Fax: 518-445-2315dsing@albanylaw.eduwww.albanylaw.edu

Cover photo by Kris Qua

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Nader UrgesStudents toConsider PublicAdvocacyRalph Nader brought his defiantmessage to a standing-room onlycrowd in the Dean AlexanderMoot Court Room earlier thisschool year, urging students touse their legal skills to challengethe “abuse of corporate power.”

The relentless consumeradvocate, who first targeted theauto industry with the bookUnsafe at Any Speed, urged students to consider the public’sneed for lawyers more than corporate and government work.Students and faculty of theAlbany Law EnvironmentalOutlook Journal brought Naderto the school, with the help ofMark Dunlea ’88, who chairsthe New York State Green Party.

Commencement Speech by GarciaMichael Garcia ’89, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of NewYork, delivered the keynote speech at Albany Law’s graduation for theClass of 2006 on May 19 at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center.Garcia addressed 273 graduates, along with their families and friends.

Gabrielli Competitors AppealMurder Conviction

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Albany Law in the NewsNew York Law Journal, 02/03/06

“If the governor does appointsomeone to replace Smith whowould vote to sustain thedeath penalty, all bets are offunless [Judge] Robert Smithsupports stare decisis. GeorgeBundy Smith has made it clearthat he is a certain voteagainst the death penalty. Justabout anybody the governorwould appoint to replace himwould be more sympathetic tothe death penalty than [BundySmith] is.” –Albany Law SchoolProfessor Vincent Bonventre inan article titled, "Defense askscourt to separate issues inTaylor appeal.”

The Oregonian, 12/28/05“Do you really buy this connection between the supposed negligence of themanufacturer and the shootingdeath? Or are there just toomany things going on here toplausibly hold the manufacturerresponsible?” –Albany LawSchool Professor TimothyLytton in an article titled,“Lawsuit accuses drug firms ofrole in meth-related killing.”

The Associated Press, 01/15/06“Typically appeals courts don’tchastise lower courts in theiropinions. Clearly that's whatthey did here.” –Albany LawSchool Professor Laurie Shanksin an article titled, “Judgeschastised for improper jurordismissals.”

INBRIEF

Judges listen to oral arguments from the moot court teams during the 2005Domenick L. Gabrielli Appellate Advocacy Competition. Pictured left toright are Hon. Gary Sharpe, U.S. District Court, Northern District ofN.Y.; Hon. Thomas McAvoy ’64, U.S. District Court, Northern Districtof N.Y.; Hon. George Bundy Smith, New York Court of Appeals;Hon. Robert Smith, New York Court of Appeals; and Hon. David Hurd,U.S. District Court, Northern District of N.Y.

Pictured left to right are the 2005 Domenick L. Gabrielli AppellateAdvocacy Competition finalists Paige Saperstein ’07 and Kristin Knapp ’07;winners Mark Myers ’07 and Michael Pendall ’07; and Suzanne Post’06, 2005 Chair of the Domenick L. Gabrielli Moot Court Competition.

Ralph Nader

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More than 500 SeniorsGathered forSenior CitizenLaw DaySome 500 seniors, their childrenand caregivers drove, walked androde busses to attend the 13thSenior Citizen Law Day put onby the Government Law Centerthis past winter.

Along with more than 30seminars addressing the ever-growing health and legal issuesfaced by the senior population,a full session focused on theupcoming new Medicare-Part Dlaw. Attendees packed the schoolgym for this before heading tosmaller seminars that addresseddriving safety, IRS audits, estateplanning, identity fraud, wills,caregiver issues, funeral planningand more.

The day-long program, freeto attendees, opened with TheNancy M. Sills Lecture, “Whatto Do if the IRS Audits YourTax Return” presented byAlbany Law’s Professor HaroldDubroff.

Sponsors included the Times Union, Albany CountyDepartment for the Aging,Child’s Nursing Home, the CivilService Employee’s Associationand Key Bank. New York StateSenator Neil D. Breslin andAlbany County ExecutiveDirector Michael Breslin alsoparticipated in the day.

Wai B. Zee ’87 talks about protecting the Levi’s® trademarklike a general talks about combatstrategy. The brand protectionactivities of Levi Strauss & Co.(LS&Co.) are virtually non-stopwhere it raids a factory, ware-house or retail shop somewherein the world, using local police,federal agents or private firms toconfiscate some hundreds ofthousands of units in over 1,500raids annually.

Calling 501® jeans the mostcounterfeited product in theworld, Zee, the company’s AsiaPacific chief counsel, told agroup of Albany Law studentsin the fall semester that when“overseeing 53 countries, we can’tjust win, we need to find thecheapest and easiest way to win.”

Wearing a $120 pair ofLevi’s® Red Loop™ only available in Asia, Zee likenedChina to the “wild west” whichkept him busy, though his division also includes theMiddle East, Turkey, Africa and Latin America.

Born in Hong Kong andraised in the United States, Zeeearned a bachelor’s at CornellUniversity, a J.D. from AlbanyLaw, and an LL.M in trade regulations from New YorkUniversity School of Law.

Law School Offered Many Paths“One thing I noticed whenI was here,” Zee said of hisAlbany Law days, “is that they

INBRIEF

promote the student to be innovative and inspire atypicalcareers,” adding that this is evident by the wide range ofcareer paths of his law schoolpeers. Along with memories ofdorm living and sprained anklesfrom lost rebounds, he creditedProfessor Seita, whom he keepsin touch with, and ProfessorHutter for stoking his interest in intellectual property and unfairtrade practices.

He can sound more like amarketer than a lawyer, speakingat length on the importance ofbranding, the niche marketsLS&CO. has focused on for thedifferent countries, and the needto know well a company’s macroand micro business strategies fora lawyer to provide proper coun-sel. “I need to understand each

new product and the strategybehind the rollout if I’m to support them legally,” Zee said,adding that with more than 100different trademarks under threebrands—including Dockers®

and Levi Strauss Signature®—in 53 countries, he has a lot totrack and protect.

Along with knowing legaldistinctions in every country,Zee’s team needs to understandlanguage, culture and even thepolitical climate. He relies onexperts in each country to helplocalize the legal strategy, andalso provide public relations and marketing to educate thecommunity.

“Employees come and go,”Zee told the Albany Law students, “but trademarks lastforever.” For LS&CO., that’scertainly true. Its “Arcuate”stitching design on the backpocket of their jeans remains the oldest continuous usedtrademark for clothing in thecountry—1873.

It’s not always a battle forZee, who showed some slides of the glamour side of his job.This included promotional campaigns and glitzy eventswith models, rock stars andother celebrities, Zee always inthe mix. Despite the worldwidetravel and swanky parties, Zeesaid he was glad to be in Albanyagain. “I always liked it here.And it seems like it hasn’tchanged much.”—DS

Levi Strauss & Co.’s Chief Counsel for Asia Pacific,an Albany Law Grad, Tells Tales of Brand Wars

Wai Zee ’87

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SymposiumTacklesGovernmentReformHon. Judith S. Kaye, ChiefJudge of the State of New York,gave the Judiciary Address to apacked Dean Alexander MootCourtroom at the symposium,“Refinement or Reinvention:The State of Reform in NewYork” on Feb. 10, 2006.

The symposium, whichfocused on visions of reform inNew York State Government,was presented by the Albany LawReview with the Albany LawSchool Government Law Center.

Among other presenters were Evan Davis, Esq., formerCounsel to Governor MarioCuomo; Assemblywoman Sandy Galef, New York StateAssembly; Professor Eric Lane,Hofstra School of Law; BarbaraBartoletti, Legislative Director,New York State League ofWomen Voters; Dean GeraldBenjamin, SUNY New Paltz;and John Faso, former assemblyminority leader and 2006gubernatorial candidate.

Student-Led Phonathon ForgesNew Connections, DonationsA team of 10 students raised $31,000 between October 2005 andApril 2006 to support this year’s Albany Law School Fund. ThePhonathon, a revived initiative of the school’s Development Office,reached out to selective alumni to provide them with school news,confirm contact data for networking purposes, and request supportof the annual fund. Call after call students fell into conversations thatled to career advice, horror stories about all-night cramming, andstrategies to escape the stress of exams.

A Columbian-born student spoke coincidentally to an alumnuswho worked at the U.S. Columbian Consulate. The two conversedin French, Spanish and English.

“No one connects with Alumni more than an engaging student,”said Diane Thompson, Asst. Director of Development of the AnnualFund. “From conversations about shared professors to favorite pubs,it seems both sides learned from one another.”

The new program will take place each semester, and alumni areencouraged to question and share experiences with the callers.

Phonathon callers, class of ’07, are, from left, Catherine Kwan, Pearline Guillausne, Jennifer Filomeno, Ronney Rosenberg and (sitting) Sabrina Bonne Annee.

GuernseyConsidered First Dean to Enter thePodcast WorldAlbany Law Dean Thomas F. Guernsey doesn’t expect hislectures to trade illegally on anyfile-sharing networks but hedoes make them available fordownloading. Using new technology called ClassCasterdeveloped from the Consortiumfor Distance Education, DeanGuernsey’s class on Evidence,which he taught for the spring2006 semester, is digitallyrecorded for students to download.

Twenty-five law schools inthe country participated in thebeta testing, and folks at theCenter for Computer-AssistedLegal Instruction (CALI) believe it is the largest podcast-ing initiative in higher educationto date. And as far as they know,Albany is the only law school inthe country where the Deanparticipates. We believe them.

INBRIEF

New Web Site and EmailAddresses for Albany LawEmail addresses for all Albany Law School staff, faculty and students havechanged. The new email addresses will end with @albanylaw.edu. Oldaddresses that end with @mail.als.edu are being phased out.

Some examples of new addresses: alumni@albanylaw.edu; admissions@albanylaw.edu; and cseba@albanylaw.edu (ChristinaSebastian).

The school Web site has also changed to www.albanylaw.edu.Receivers of email from Albany Law will now clearly identify the sourceof the email, unlike the former addresses that were misleading. Likewise,the new Web site address will be easier to search and remember.

Dean Guernsey

Hon. Judith S. Kaye

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Student GroupTo Promote Pro Bono WorkSecond-year student Olivia Nixis helping her Albany Law peershelp others. Nix has started theschool’s first Pro Bono Society.The organization seeks toencourage public service fromAlbany Law students throughwork with legal services organi-zations in the community.

“Our clinics and field place-ments are wonderful venues toexperience public service law,”said Olivia Nix, acting presidentof the Pro Bono Society. “I want to see if we can advance a broader cross-section of thestudent population to appreciateservice.”

The group held its first event,Pro Bono Day, Jan. 31, in theRochester Moot Courtroom for30 students.

“You don’t learn how to practice law until you go outand do it,” said Ellen Schell ’93,legal director of The LegalProject. Schell was just one offive panelists sharing her workexperiences at Pro Bono Day.Other speakers included: LillianMoy, executive director, LegalAid Society of NortheasternNew York; Anne Erickson, president and CEO, EmpireJustice Center; MichaelFriedman ’76 of Friedman & Molinsek, former president of the Albany County BarAssociation (ACBA) and chairof the ACBA’s Pro BonoCommittee; and Matt Truax,Albany Law student and legalvolunteer for New Orleans hurricane victims.

Albany Law in the NewsEast African Standard, 11/25/05

“Since a majority of the peopleof Kenya have clearly lost confidence that a new consti-tutional dispensation is possi-ble under the Kibaki rule, anew cabinet appointed underthe terms of the current constitution may perpetuatethe very order that Kenyanshave resoundingly rejected.That to me also smells like aconstitutional crisis.” –AlbanyLaw School Professor JamesThuo Gathii in an op-ed articletitled,“A game of musical chairson Cabinet won't help Kibaki.”

The Associated Press, 11/18/05“They’re (defense lawyers) looking for anything to givethem an edge. The Crawfordcase gives them a clear edgeto use against prosecutors.”

–Albany Law School ProfessorMichael Hutter in an articletitled, “Defense lawyers to challenge breath tests in drunk-driving cases.”

Los Angeles Times, 10/28/05“So much has [happened] thatit's hard to figure out whathappened and why. Getting tothe bottom of things is a lotlike handicapping on a muddytrack.” –Bennett Liebman,coordinator of the Racing andWagering Law Program in anarticle titled, “New York Racingin Poor Shape.”

Seattle Times, 02/27/06“The framers of the Constitution... were not opposed to citizenparticipation and self-gover-nance, but they wanted it donein a way that required delibera-tion. Part of the problem withthe initiative process is that it’snot deliberative or informeddecision making.” –Albany LawSchool Professor Stephen Clarkin an article titled, “Some question use of ballot box to settle issues like gay rights.”

Event Addresses Asian-PacificStereotypes, Models LeadershipThe Albany Law School Asian-Pacific American Law StudentsAssociation (APALSA) brought together a panel of Asian-PacificAmerican (APA) attorneys who addressed stereotyping of their workethic and culture. Panel members encouraged students to promote thelegal profession to the APA community and confront head-on mythsaround any ethnic heritage in the legal profession and beyond.

The program, called “Asian-Pacific Americans in the Law,” included Asian-Pacific American attorneys sharing their experiencesfor overcoming stereotypes, among other success stories. Speakersincluded Ronald J. Kim, Law Offices of Ronald J. Kim; Lisa Kwong,Assistant Attorney General; Hung Kay Lo ’92, State of New York RealProperty Services Office; Heena Shaikh ’04, Law Office of AnneReynolds Copps; and Donald Zee ’78, Donald Zee, P.C.

Pictured left to right are Beverly Roxas ’07, APALSA Social Chair,Hannah Yoo ’07, APALSA Secretary, Hung Kay Lo ’92, Ronald J. Kim,Josh Choi ’07, APALSA President, Lisa Kwong, Donald Zee ’78, Heena Shaikh ’04, Judy Tsang ’07, APALSA Treasurer (seated) andMindy Kim ’07, APALSA Vice-President (seated).

Bookstore Moves to New Student CenterAfter more than 20 years of calling Room 100B home, the AlbanyLaw School Bookstore is packing up and moving to the UniversityHeights Bookstore in the brand new Albany College of PharmacyStudent Center. The new 5,000-square-foot store will serve ACP,Albany Law and Sage College of Albany. The Student Center isexpected to open this summer.

Students Give Legal Aid to Katrina Victims Three Albany Law students spent their holiday break providing legalassistance to Louisiana and Mississippi victims of Hurricane Katrinaunder the supervision of practicing attorneys.

Ben Silbert ’08, Matthew Truax ’06 and Leah Williamson ’07worked with the Student Hurricane Network, a national associationof law students and administrators dedicated to providing long-termassistance to communities in the aftermath of hurricane destruction.

Hard work in the “Big Easy”Truax left for New Orleans on New Year’s Day, Jan.1, 2006. For thenext two weeks he called St. Luke’s Episcopal Church his home wherehe and 40 other volunteers slept on cots in the basement.

Truax was assigned to the city’s lower Ninth Ward, an area severely flooded when the levees were breached by Katrina and Rita.

From day one Truax started working on a lawsuit filed against thecity by several housing advocacy groups. The class action lawsuit, Kirk v. City of New Orleans, demanded that residents are notifiedbefore any damaged homes are demolished. In late December, cityofficials announced their intention to demolish within weeks about2,500 buildings that inspectors found to be dangerously unstable after Hurricane Katrina.

Truax spent 12-14 hour days researching the class action litigation,which included interviewing survivors, chronicling their stories, participating in court and surveying homes—in many cases, theremains of homes.

“For many of the people living in the lower Ninth Ward theirhomes were all they had,” said Truax. “We were fighting for homeowners to not only have a chance at saving their homes, but the right to retrieve their personal belongings.”

Evictions in Mississippi Leah Williamson ’07 worked with the Mississippi Center for Justice observing eviction proceedings in the Justice Courts of Gulfport,Biloxi and Ocean Springs. The Center was seeking a three-week snapshot of how tenants’ rights in its region were affected by hurricane Katrina. Mississippi has a huge housing shortage due to the destruction of Katrina. Tenants, jobless from the storm, can’t payrent and landlords are raising rent due to the housing shortage. The combination is a lethal one and Williamson watched the chaosplay out in the Justice Courts.

Often landlords could not contact tenants after they evacuated. Inone situation a tenant’s trailer was demolished by FEMA with all oftheir belongings still inside. The landlord claimed that he had postedsigns alerting the tenants to remove their belongings.

Williamson, a California native, interviewed tenants after theirhearings to learn that they were unaware that free legal representation

INBRIEF

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PhotosTop: Top, Matthew Truax ’06 Middle: Hurricane damage in Gulfport, Miss., where Williamsonvolunteered to observe eviction proceedings.Bottom: Leah Williamson ’07

was available. “I handed out flyers from the Miss. Center for Justiceand encouraged the tenants to contact the organization if they wereinterested in appealing the decision,” said Williamson.

“There are so many problems down there,” said Williamson. “I never imagined the help that they need—legal and physical.”

Williamson stayed in a church in Gulfport, along with a volunteerconstruction crew that was rebuilding the house of the church’s pastor. Williamson drove down to Mississippi with her partner, afilmmaker, who documented the trip with her video camera.

Notices for Demolition Ben Silbert ’08 also worked in the New Orleans lower Ninth Ward.His time was divided among three projects: conducting research onthe Kirk v. City of New Orleans case for the People’s Hurricane ReliefFund (PHRF), the Pro Bono Project and the Association ofCommunity Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN).

“For ACORN, I gutted flooded houses for two days so that theycould eventually be resold. For the Pro Bono Project, I contactedlawyers and displaced clients and updated files accordingly,” recalled Silbert.

Settlement with the cityA few days after Truax and Silbert returned home from New Orleans,they received word that the city agreed to give homeowners advancenotice and the advocacy groups dropped their suit.

Truax said the experience helped him to realize the value of pro bono work.

“I want to go back in 15 years and see the new New Orleans,” said Truax. “It would be nice to see the positive long-term effects ofeveryone’s hard work.”

Katrina hits home for New Orleans NativeGavin Guillot ’08, born and raised in New Orleans, intended to volunteer during his winter break with the Student HurricaneNetwork, but decided to donate all his time to helping family andfriends. While his parents did not lose their home, his uncles, auntsand grandparents did.

“My house suffered mainly reparable wind damage, and, thankfully,no flooding. My aunt was hit the hardest, for her home was less thanone mile from the infamous levee breach in Lakeview,” explainedGuillot. “Many of my close friends lost everything, from homes tocars to irreplaceable family photo albums; we were fortunate.”

Gavin’s parents live in a suburb of New Orleans called Metairie in Jefferson Parish. His grandparents also lived in Metairie and gotslammed with 6.5 feet of water. His aunt, from Orleans Parish in anarea called Lakeview, had 12.5 feet of water. Most of Gavin’s friendsand cousins lived in Lakeview or in the same part of Metairie thatflooded where his grandparents lived.

“Seeing my family and friends who endured the hurricane andwithstood the aftermath, I could tell that everyone had aged,” saidGuillot. “It was sad to go home to a devastated place that was known as ‘the city that care forgot’ prior to Katrina. Yet despite theunfortunate truth of that nickname, it was encouraging to see andwitness the nation come around it and the surrounding areas withsuch support.”

Albany Law Developing Nation’sFirst Tech-Transfer Masters Program

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The Science and TechnologyLaw Center received a $120,000grant from the N.Y. State Senateto develop the nation’s firstMaster’s of Science in LegalStudies focused on technologytransfer.

The new curriculum willbe designed to help working

professionals better understandthe legal and business aspects of the tech-transfer process.

“This type of degree programbenefits area universities and thecompanies that rely on technol-ogy transfer applications to suc-cessfully market high-tech goodsand services,” Majority LeaderJoseph L. Bruno told a groupin the Dean Alexander MootCourtroom.

The plan calls for the mastersprogram to start in January2007 and to develop the pro-gram with area universities andcompanies engaged in tech-transfer activity.

The Science and TechnologyCenter is developing the contentfor the masters program, led byDirector Saul Seinberg.

The first 10 people to correctly name anyone in either photo wins anAlbany Law School cap. The first five to correctly name three people ineither photo, including their graduating year, win a school sweatshirt.

Submit your answers to Christina Sebastian, Director, Alumni Affairs,cseba@albanylaw.edu. Winners will be revealed in the next issue ofAlbanyLaw.

Who are they?

N.Y. State Senator Bruno

How a skillful mediator got the New York City Transit System back on track

COVERSTORY

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urreri has mediated high-profile disputes before as the Director ofConciliation for the New York StatePublic Employment Relations

Board (PERB), but few conflicts reach thislevel of pressure and virtually none this levelof media scrutiny. “They’re all intense,” he said, noting teacher strikes of years past in Buffalo and Yonkers, “but I’ve never done anything quite like this.” The NewYork Times dubbed it “the World Series ofconflict resolution.”

To raise the stakes further during thethree days’ worth of sessions, the city’smayor, Michael Bloomberg, claimed that the city was losing $547 million a day incommerce, and spending $13.7 million onpolice overtime and other strike-related costs(all these numbers were challenged of course)due to 34,000 transit workers off the job.To add to the perfect mediation storm, a judge ordered a $1 million fine to theunion for each day it stayed on strike.

Curreri chose two other mediators to workthe sessions with him. “With a large-scaleconflict like this, you don’t want to miss ormisinterpret anything anyone says,” Currerisaid. “For this, three people are better thanone. We were able to bounce ideas off ofeach other and feel more confident aboutthe direction in which we needed to go.”

Inside this frenzied climate the mediatorskept the parties focused on collective bar-gaining. “We had to isolate them fromthe circus atmosphere,” said Curreri. “To the extent possible, we tried to keep themfrom becoming distracted by the press, Continued on page 10

y Transit System back on track

After 29 hours of mediation,Richard Curreri ’76 rode down theelevator of the New York GrandHyatt, three days before Christmas2005, to tell a throng of media thatNew York City’s bus and subwayworkers were going back to work.

“Strangely enough my head wasstill screwed on straight” for thepress conference, Curreri said after the event. Good thing foradrenaline, because his words made it into newspapers fromSydney to Beijing to Turkey.

By David Singer

A transit strike in New York City brought thecountry’s largest public transportation system to a grinding halt, forcing millions of commutersto find new ways to get around town.

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the politics, and their personalemotions so they could stay ontask, which was resolving theissues on the table.” For starters,Curreri quietly situated themediation at a new hotel awayfrom the site where negotiationshad failed. To do this withoutcommotion, the players exitedindividually and sporadically toavoid tipping-off the media.

He also kept the parties separate throughout most of theprocess. “Emotions were toohigh, there was a lot of animos-ity,” Curreri said. “We wantedto diffuse the tension andthought it more appropriateto keep the parties apart.”

In the end, for all its atten-tion and public pressure, Currerifound the mediation itself to benot very different than any

other. “You try to unearth thecore problems underlying theparties’ demands. You reality-testnot only whether the particularsolution a party is advancing isrational, but also whether itstands any chance of beingaccepted by the other side. Youprobe to see whether alternativesexist that may be more accept-able to both sides while stillremedying the problem.”

The aftermathCurreri’s 15-plus minutes of fameearned him momentary rock-star status as far as mediators go.The New York Times featuredCurreri in an article titled, “TheMediator behind the Curtain inthe Transit Strike” and the DailyNews wrote, “Mediator Deliversfor City,” describing him withterms like “master deal-maker,”“patience” and “good listeningskills.” And yet, for all his goodwork, the dispute didn’t endbecause the transit union’s rankand file rejected the agreement—by just seven votes out ofover 22,000 cast.

As of the printing date of thismagazine, the transit workerscontinue to work without acontract, the union has agreedto resubmit the same deal to itsmembership for another vote,but the Transit Authority isclaiming that the same deal isnow off the table. Using the tagline of a City gossip columnist,Curreri quipped: “Only in NewYork, kids, only in New York!”

As conciliation director forpublic sector collective bargain-ing disputes throughout NewYork, Curreri oversees hundredsof mediations, fact-findingsand arbitrations each year. Hisextensive administrative respon-sibilities limit the number ofcases he can personally mediate,a situation he describes as “nec-essary, but unfortunate” giventhe intrinsic rewards attendantto a successful mediation.

Curreri attended CornellUniversity, where he earned aB.A. in government, ironically,having no interest in the school’sindustrial and labor relationsprogram. It was at Albany LawSchool that former professorJohn E. Sands first lit his interestin labor law and collective bar-gaining. He started in the fieldright after getting his J.D. in 1976,and plans to continue to helpresolve negotiation disputes forthe foreseeable future.10

Richard Curreri ’76

THE SHORT RISEAND FALL OFALBANY LAWINTERCOLLEGIATEBASKETBALLIn their brief heyday they beatteams like Manhattan College,Tufts University, Fordham Lawand Boston University (21-20).In their first and greatest year,they won 10 and lost four,trouncing St. John’s College 41-21, and defeating Universityof Vermont 23-19.

The season was 1921-1922,when law schools, as an under-graduate program, had the usualundergraduate frills of frats,dances and intercollegiate sports.Albany Law’s opening seasonearned a large enough reputa-tion to draw power teams thefollowing year like University of Detroit and the UConn“Aggies,” finishing that secondseason with eight wins andseven losses.

During these early seasons afreshman team competed witharea high schools and served as a feeder system for the senior“Law” men.

The team collapsed for thenext two seasons, finishing 5 wins-18 losses and 3 wins-9 losses. While the line-up suffered the typical losses of acollege team—primarily loss of graduates and academic ineligibility—the real problemcame when the city of Albany’sschool board voted to close its

gym to the “Lawyers” halfwaythrough the ’22-’23 season. The team moved to theNational Guard Armory.

Things went from bad toworst when the team could notpractice in the Armory unless itagreed to recruit students for theNational Guard. Declining, theteam drilled and scrimmaged ona tiny court in the YMCA.These cramped conditions pre-pared the players poorly for theArmory’s big court, leading toeven bigger losses. Springfield,Queens, Hamilton and UnionCollege (who Albany Law never seemed to beat) allcrushed Albany Law by at least a 10-point spread in each40-minute game (equivalent toat least a 20-point spread intoday’s terms). After a six-yearbreak, the anticipation of thenew 1928 building with a fullgym revived excitement for abasketball program. A season

resumed before the building was finished, using AlbanyCollege of Pharmacy’s court.That year the “Law” men wonone of 10 games, beating, ironi-cally, only ACP.

The next year, with a gym ofits very own, Albany Law went6-3, winning the last five in arow, including beating RPI atthe end after losing to them inthe season opener. The yearended with a gameagainst a collection ofAlbany Law alumniplayers, the oldersquad losing 43-31.

Before the start ofthe 1930-31 season,the school’s athleticcouncil moved toend the basketball

season, but the student bodyvoted to keep the season. Thisturned into the school’s final year,ending with a 4-4 record.

Coach Barry rememberedUnder coach Martin “Marty” Barry ’22 Albany Law beat St.John’s College, Fordham Law,Manhattan College and Tuftsduring the 1920-1921 season.

Barry coached the AlbanyLawyers for the first two seasons,putting the school on thenational basketball map for thefirst and only time. Unable toplay because of his career withthe State Teacher’s College, theTroy High School star gave histime every night to build thewinning team from “materialwell nigh raw.”

The Albany Law CheerWhile women attended AlbanyLaw in 1921, cheerleading wasstrictly a man’s game. The stan-dard cheer at the time, led byEly Koplovitz—voted “one ofthe best liked men” in the classof 1921—went like this:

BACKTHEN

Coach Martin “Marty” Barry, ’22

1921–22 LAW Men

ALBANY LAW!ALBANY LAW!RAH RAH RAH RAHA-L-B-A-N-YALBANY LAW!ALBANY LAW!TEAM-TEAM-TEAM!

By J.K. Hage III,’78Trustee; Chair of the Dean’s Communications Advisory Council

President and Dean Thomas F.Guernsey, with the approval ofthe Board of Trustees, has cham-pioned a vision for Albany Lawas a world-class institution—asmall, private law school, similarto the best of the nation’s small,prestigious liberal arts colleges.

A number of changes havebeen made to ensure that AlbanyLaw lives up to this vision.Perhaps the most visible adjustment so far is the deliberate reduction in thesize of the student body fromover 900 students to 700. Theresult is a leaner, more selectivestudent body. Meanwhile, facultynumbers remain the same, lead-ing to a lower student-facultyratio of 14 to 1. These changesrepresent just one componentof an evolution that will positionAlbany Law as a world-classinstitution.

The way we present ourselves to the outside worldmust change to reflect AlbanyLaw’s new aspirations. Thismagazine, along with a newWeb site at a new address—www.albanylaw.edu—a newlogo and a new look for all communication materials, marks the launch of a newbrand for the school.

With the help of outsideexperts and with input from ourfaculty, administration, studentsand alumni, we have spent twoyears planning, researching anddeveloping a clear brand thatemphasizes our traditions andour strengths.

New Tagline Albany Law in New York’sCapital. Knowledge Empowers.

In order to position Albany Law as a historic, highly selectiveprivate law school whose studentsbenefit from its location in New York’s capital, we needed anew theme, or tagline, to uniteour communications materials.The words above were carefullychosen to reflect the value oflocation in one of the most influential capitals of the world.Study in Albany leads to passingthe New York bar exam—andthe New York legal system has areputation for complexity andcomprehensiveness.

In addition to professionalopportunity, the new taglinecalls attention to Albany Law’sstimulating and collaborativeintellectual community.Research shows that mostprospective students seek a

scholarly, personalized educa-tional experience. To them, ourtagline represents an emphasison academic opportunity.

New Logo Albany Law has plenty to boastabout, including an intimate setting and the advantages characterized by a small, privateschool experience. The newbuilding icon captures the con-cept of a close-knit communityof learning. Further, we’velearned that the façade of the1928 Building is the image that resonates most favorablywith current students and alumni. Our new icon seeks tostir that positive association.

With the highlight of “NY”inside the word “ALBANY,” the logo reinforces the power ofthe school’s New York location,a message that can never beoveremphasized.

A New SealThe revitalized seal, shown above,preserves Albany Law’s century-old relationship with UnionUniversity, a relationship thathelps express the school’s inde-pendence from any other insti-tution. And more importantly,the use of the landmark façade

12

NEW BRAND REFLECTS ALBANYLAW’S VISION, STRENGTHS

Official seal

from the new logo emphasizesour history while creating acohesive and memorable brand.

The process To communicate effectively, we need to understand our audience. Prospective studentsmake up one audience of many.A law school exists as part of alarger community of alumni,current students, the legal profession, prospective facultyacross the nation, opinion makers, elected officials,employers and even media. We cannot be—or appear tobe—everything to everyone, sowe identified our audiences todetermine appropriate messages.

The process started in 2004.The Dean’s CommunicationsAdvisory Council, which con-sists of faculty, trustees, alumniand staff, solicited and reviewednumerous marketing proposals,interviewing three firms beforesecuring GCF, a Baltimore mar-keting firm that specializes inhigher education.

The CommunicationsAdvisory CommitteeDean Guernsey assembled anadvisory committee to helpidentify Albany Law’s strengths

Ideas were developed,tweaked, honed, tested andsometimes rejected after numer-ous drafts. Graphics, language,recruitment brochures, the logo,the Web site, the letterhead,business cards, this magazineand all other communicationsmaterials needed to be unifiedunder one common goal: to tellthe story of a private, independ-ent law school located in the

and problem areas, understandissues surrounding our image, pinpoint the desired marketposition, and craft a theme andmessage that captures the heartof Albany Law School forintended audiences.

The advisory committee took a hard look at the school:Who are we now? How are weperceived? What do we want to become? What’s possible?

heart of Albany, N.Y., an impor-tant, globally-recognized place.

Together with genuinechanges at every level, our newbranding effort will communi-cate that we’ve entered andestablished a new era for Albany Law School.

The Dean’s Advisory Committee

J.K. Hage III ’78, Chair

Dean Thomas Guernsey

John Bagyi ’96

Daisy Ford, student

Professor Greg Mandel

Mary Ann McGinn ’83

Harry Robinson ’65

Dana Salazar ’05

Professor Sandra Stevenson ’71

Helen Adams-Keane, VicePresident, InstitutionalAdvancement

David Singer, Director,Communications

13

Icon and wordmark

Bill Toomey entered Albany Law School in 1952 aftercompleting three years of a sociology program at SienaCollege and accepting an academic challenge: If hesuccessfully completed his first year at Albany Law, he’dreceive a bachelor’s degree from Siena in the bargain. Ifhe couldn’t hack law school, all he’d have to show wouldbe the blank diploma he received at graduation as aparticipant in Siena’s 3+3 joint program with Albany Law.The odds seemed stacked against Toomey as Dean AndrewClements—a blunt-spoken man—offered Toomey and110 other first-year students an indelible lesson in theconcept of jurisprudential survival-of-the-fittest.

ALBANY LAW CROSSING RECENT

GENERATIONSBy Paul Grondahl

“Our entire first-year class wascrammed tightly into the largestof the three classrooms. DeanClements reminded us that theclassrooms were smaller forsecond- and third-year studentsand that some of us weren’tgoing to make it,” recalledToomey, who had arrived notlong after an enrollment spikeof 400 students following thepost-war bulge of World War IIveterans entering on the G.I.Bill. Dean Clements under-scored the dire warning forToomey and his classmates bysuggesting that the road aheadfor the Class of 1955 would belittered with first-year roadkill.He closed his speech with acautionary allusion: “The lawis a jealous mistress.”

After three years, just 65students graduated with Toomeyin 1955, while the balance ofthe 110 aspiring lawyers thatshowed up on the first day hadmelted away. “Some of themonly lasted a week and boltedwhen they saw how difficult thetask was going to be,” Toomey

said. His classmates, only three ofthem women, included severalother Siena grads. His closestfriend, Bill Redmond, grew upin the same Albany neighbor-hood and the pair had beenbuddies since grammar school;they remain close and havehelped organize each Class of‘55 reunion together. Toomeynoted that his friends in lawschool tended to be those withsurnames beginning with a letternear T, since his class was seatedalphabetically.

Fast-forward 51 years andstudents are still seated alphabet-ically, with classmates tending tobecome closest with others seatedaround them due to their lastnames. Long gone, of course,is the nostalgic Albany Lawambiance of a musty men’s clubwith a running poker game inthe lounge, a daily uniform ofjacket and tie, rye on the rocksat formal dinner dances, gather-ing around the school’s singleradio to hear breaking news,and never really sweating the$500-a-year tuition.

Changing SidewaysThere is still an attrition ratein 2006, although it’s a fractionof the 1955 rate and currentlystands at 9.3% attrition overthree years, according to RichardLudwick, vice president ofenrollment management andstudent affairs. “We are workinghard to lower that number.”

Competition to get intoAlbany Law remains stiff, with2,500 to 3,000 applicationsvying for 250 first-year slots.The enrollment of women hasincreased steadily across thedecades, though, and the currentlaw school population of 726students is evenly dividedbetween genders (womenaccount for 50.1% and men for49.9%), while minority studentsrepresent 17.3% of the population.In fact, while the number ofstudents has doubled in the pastthree decades, nearly all of thatgrowth has been among womenand people of color—while theoverall number of white maleshas remained unchanged since1973. About 30 percent of the

students now come from statesother than New York, as well asseveral foreign countries, addingto the growing diversity atAlbany Law and underscoringa significant shift in the studentbody makeup from what hadbeen a rather homegrown,homogeneous group just a fewdecades earlier. Yet, retainingthe best parts of that closenessremains a goal.

“I talk to my friends at otherlaw schools and they say it’s reallycutthroat and everyone’s out forthemselves,” said second-yearstudent Lincy Thomas, 23, ofPomona, N.Y., whose internshipwith Attorney General EliotSpitzer’s health care bureausolidified her goal of practicinghealth care law. “If you needhelp at Albany Law School,there are lots of people readyto help you.”

Thomas is concerned, how-ever, about the debt she expectsto rack up in law school. Sheworks throughout the academicyear at the state Department

15

Some ofthem onlylasted aweek andbolted

when they saw howdifficult the task was going to be.–Bill Toomey ’55

We want tobe a lawschoolthat’s morelike a small,

liberal arts collegethan a large, compre-hensive university.–Dean Thomas Guernsey

I talk to myfriends atother lawschools andthey say it’s

really cutthroat andeveryone’s out forthemselves. If youneed help at AlbanyLaw, there are lots ofpeople ready to helpyou. –Lincy Thomas ’07

of Motor Vehicles to defraylaw school expenses, she rentsa modest apartment, clipscoupons, recycles bottles andwears heavy sweatshirts at hometo save money on her heating bill.

Philosophical ShiftingIn addition to cultural differ-ences across the decades, thephilosophical foundation ofAlbany Law School is transform-ing. Dean Thomas Guernseyhas outlined an academic vision:Smaller, stronger and moreselective. “We want to be a lawschool that’s more like a small,liberal arts college than a large,comprehensive university,”Guernsey said, suggesting hisvision will result in a law schoolmore akin to Williams Collegethan New York University.

“The notion of reducing theclass size to make it harder toget into at the bottom of theclass, so to speak, will raise thestandards overall, creating amore highly qualified studentbody across the board,” saidProfessor Stephen Gottlieb, afaculty member since 1979.“That’s fine by me as a professor.”

“We can provide moreindividual attention and haveadditional interaction anddialogue with students witha reduced class size,” saidAssociate Dean Patricia Salkin,a 1988 Albany Law grad andfaculty member since 1992.“That’s a good thing for studentsand teachers.”

Although the closely watchedbar passage rate accounts for onlya small fraction of U.S. News& World Report’s law schoolranking, it’s a priority for DeanGuernsey’s renewed emphasis onacademic achievement.

To that end, Kathe Klare,Associate Professor of AcademicSuccess, has set up additionalindividual counseling and aca-demic support for new studentsin their first semester, followedby a course she teaches calledApplied Legal Reasoning forstudents still struggling in theirsecond semester.

“What amazes some of theother Student Bar Associationpresidents I talk with is whenI tell them I can just walk intoDean Guernsey’s office anytimeI want,” said Ben Gold, 26, athird-year student and president

of the SBA at Albany Law.“Albany Law has that kind ofopen and friendly feeling I don’tthink you find at many otherlaw schools.” To counter anyaccusations of softness, headded, “We work hard, arguablyharder than a lot of the higher-ranked law schools.”

OutcomesThe most recent employmentrate for new Albany Law Schoolgraduates was 96%, which is6.26% above the nationalaverage, according to SandraMans, Assistant Dean for CareerPlanning. The job breakdownfor 2004 Albany Law graduateswas: 57% private law firms;22% government employment;17% business and industry; 2%public interest; 2% academia.

And yet, despite changes, thelandscape at Albany Law hasremained remarkably changeless.Ask Jennifer Gentry, whosememories sound similar to thosedecades before her. “I lived infear my first year of being cold-called by a professor in frontof 150 other students andnot knowing the answer,” saidGentry, 25, a third-year studentwho graduated from Siena

College and grew up in thesuburbs of Albany. Now, she’ssettled into the intensity of lawschool and said she “raised a feweyebrows in my job interviewswhen I said I’ve actually beenenjoying law school lately.”

Her memorable momentscome from listening to thecompelling stories of ProfessorVincent Bonventre in lectures,and observing the courtly, OldWorld style of Professor DavidSiegel, who has a penchant forpausing in mid-lecture, closinghis eyes, listening to the staccatoclicking of keys on laptopcomputers echoing about theroom, and declaring: “Ah, listento the music.”

Charles Snow ’69 sometimeswonders how he managed tosurvive law school as a 39-year-old father of four who was alsorunning a contracting andconsulting engineer business. “Ionly went to law school becauseI got tired of fighting with somany lawyers in my business,”he recalled. Snow was urged tostudy law by Dean Ralph D.Semerad, the school’s 10th dean.Snow worried about the work-load and multiple demands.

16

I raised a few eyebrows in my jobinterviews

when I said I’ve actually been enjoyinglaw school lately.–Jennifer Gentry ’06

The mostrecentemploy-ment ratefor albany

Law graduates is96%, which is 6.26%above the nationalaverage.–Sandra Mans, Assistant Deanfor Career Planning

We canprovidemoreindividualattention

and have additionalinteraction anddialogue withstudents with areduced class size. –Patricia Salkin, Associate Dean

The notionof reducingthe classsize to makeit harder to

get in at the bottomof the class, so tospeak, will raise thestandards overall.–Professor Stephen Gottlieb

“Don’t worry, Charlie,” DeanSemerad counseled him. “Letthem know you’re getting yourlaw degree, double your rates andhalf your clients will drop off.”

His clients were so impressedthat he was working toward alaw degree that his businessdoubled. “The dean’s secretary,Jeannie Cappalino, took all myphone calls and took downmessages for me from my clients,”Snow said. “There was a greatfeeling at the law school thateveryone was there to helpyou succeed.”

Looking back on his experi-ence in the 1950s, Bill Toomeyrealizes that some things aretimeless. “I was in my officetoday, working on a case, and Ipulled down my textbook frommy Real Estate Law class andthe notes I took more than 50years ago were just as valid todayas they were then,” he said.

When John Vero ’00, an attorney at Whiteman Osterman& Hanna in Albany, comeshome after work each evening,the scene he encounters at the kitchen table gives him asense of déjà vu. He finds hissister, Francine Vero ’06, a third-year student at AlbanyLaw School, poring over textbooks, devising study flashcards and creating course outlines late into the night.

“Watching my sister, it seems like a lot hasn’t changedin the six years since I’ve beenout of law school,” said John,who shares a two-family housein Albany with his sister andgrandmother.

Perhaps the most obviouschange between 2000 and 2006at Albany Law, brother and sister observed, is how studentsuse technology. John took all his notes in class with pen andpaper. The attic in their house is filled with boxes of his handwritten notes and courseoutlines. Francine stores thousands of pages of notes and all her course documents on a portable computer drivethe size of a cigarette lighter andshe doesn’t step foot in the lawschool without her laptop computer, equipped with a

wireless card that allows her freeInternet access anywhere oncampus. “I can’t imagine takingnotes in class without my laptop, which is a foreign concept to my brother,” she said.

Looking beyond John’s firstimpression, one observes a myriad of other changes, largeand small, that have occurred inthe six-year interval between lawschool for the Vero siblings. Forstarters, he paid about $18,000in annual tuition, compared tohis sister’s cost of $32,000.Francine says law school costsare one reason she’s glad to liveat home. “It’s very difficultfinancially, even though I stayon a strict budget and workpart-time to earn money,” saysFrancine, who clerks at a locallaw firm and is grateful for anemployer that allows her to stopworking for a month eachsemester as she studies for exams.

One constant between histime and hers at Albany Law,both agreed, is that facultymembers offer personal attention,a caring attitude and are alwaysaccessible. For John, favoriteswere Professor Jack Welch,whose Trust & Estates courseoffered excellent preparation forthe bar exam and DistinguishedProfessor David Siegel’s “very

intense, but outstanding” New York Practice course. ForFrancine, she benefited greatlyfrom courses in ConstitutionalLaw, Corporations & BusinessOrganizations and SecurityRegulations with ProfessorJames Redwood—whom sheconsiders a mentor. “He canmake a dry subject really interesting because he’s a greatlecturer who knows how to use humor,” she said.

One thing the siblingsstrongly agree on is the value ofan Albany Law School degree.Vero, a former member of theAlbany Law board of trustees,is on the hiring committee atWhiteman Osterman & Hannaand he interviews Albany Lawstudents applying for clerkships.“It’s obvious from those inter-views that the school has main-tained its academic rigorthroughout the years,” he said.“We’ve also got a lot of AlbanyLaw alumni working at our firmand we hold the school and stu-dents who go there in the high-est regard.” The brother’s point is underscored by the fact thathis sister accepted a position six months before graduationwith the Albany law firm of McNamee Lochner Titus & Williams.—PG

17

Albany Lawhas thatkind ofopen andfriendly

feeling I don’t thinkyou find at manyother law schools.–Ben Gold ’06, President of the SBA

SiblingsAgeGapSmall,

Tech GapEnormous

18

CAMPUSFACES

1

4

2

5

Faces of the Campus forthe Past Two Decades

19

1. From left to right, Rosetta Rawlins,Administrative Assistant/Paralegal,Family Violence Litigation Project;Suzi Nohai, Administrative Assistant/Paralegal, Civil Rights andDisabilities Project; and BarbaraChandler, Administrative Assistant/Paralegal, Field Placement Projectand Litigation Project.

2. Edward Snyder, MaintenanceSuperintendent.

3. Robert Emery, Associate Directorand Head of Reference, SchafferLaw Library.

4. Sherri Meyer, Student ServicesCoordinator.

5. Michael Cournoyer, Print Shop Operator.

6. From left to right, Donna Parent,Legal Assistant; Theresa Colbert,Moot Court/Legal Assistant; andLinda Murray, Legal Assistant.

3

6

Pho

tos

by K

ris

Qua

PublicationsDean Thomas F. Guernsey andPaul J. Zwier co-authoredAdvanced Negotiation andMediation Theory and Practice: A Realistic Integrated Approachpublished by the NationalInstitute for Trial Advocacy(2005).

Prof. Ira M. Bloom wrote andrevised chapters in the recentlypublished Klipstein and Bloom,Drafting New York Wills(LexisNexis Matthew Bender).

Prof. Melissa Breger wrote,“Introducing the Construct ofthe Jury into Family ViolenceProceeding and Family CourtJurisprudence” which will bepublished in the Spring 2006issue of the University ofMichigan Journal of Gender and Law.

Prof. Stephen Clark publishedan article on sodomy laws andabortion rights in the Nov. 4,2005, issue of the WashingtonBlade. Also, relying in part onProfessor Clark’s article, “Same-Sex but Equal: Reformulatingthe Miscegenation Analogy,” theMaryland Circuit Court recentlyheld that denying same-sex couples the right to marry violates the MarylandConstitution. Read Clark’sarticle “Same-Sex but Equal:Reformulating the Miscegena-tion Analogy” at www.profclark.net/pubs/texts/ssbe.pdf

Prof. Patrick M. Connors andadjunct professor Thomas

Gleason ’78 authored threeNew York Practice articlesappearing in the New York LawJournal. “Problems at theStarting Gate” talks about howthe fate of many commendablecases in New York state is deter-mined based on mistakes madeby the clerk’s office. The article,“Representing a RecalcitrantClient Who Has Lied DuringDisclosure” addressed the problem of representing a clientwho has lied in civil litigation,and the article, “E-DiscoveryProblems with Computer Hard-Drive Clones,” is aboutthe developing area of electronicdisclosure. Connors also wrote,“Confronting Dilemma ofPotential Client Perjury,” whichappeared in the Sept. 12, 2005,edition of the New York LawJournal and the 2005 McKinney’sSupplementary PracticeCommentaries to Article 31Disclosure. He also authored the2005 McKinney’s SupplementaryPractice Commentaries to theNew York Lawyers Code ofProfessional Responsibility, whichincludes an extensive treatmentof the Letter of EngagementRule under DR 2-106.

Prof. James Gathii published“Forward” in the “Symposiumon Wartime Security andConstitutional Liberty,” 68Albany Law Review, 1113(2005), and “Assessing Claims

of a New Doctrine of Pre-emptive War Under theDoctrine of Sources,” 43Osgoode Hall Law Journal, 67(2005). He also wrote “ThirdWorld Perspectives on GlobalPharmaceutical Access,” inMichael Santoro and ThomasGorrie, (eds.) Ethics and thePharmaceutical Industry, 336(2005) (Cambridge UniversityPress) and “Foreign Precedents inthe Federal Judiciary: The Caseof the World Trade Organiza-tion’s DSB Decisions,” 34Georgia Journal of Internationaland Comparative Law, 1 (2005).

Prof. Stephen E. Gottlieb pub-lished a Second Edition of hisbook Jurisprudence Cases andMaterials: An Introduction tothe Philosophy of Law and ItsApplications (LexisNexis 2006).The new edition includes severalnew chapters contributed fromTimothy D. Lytton, AlbanyLaw, Brian H. Bix, Universityof Minnesota Law School, andRobin L. West, GeorgetownUniversity Law Center.

Prof. Sheldon Halpern

published “A High Likelihoodof Confusion: Walmart, Traffix,Moseley, and Dastar—TheSupreme Court’s NewTrademark Jurisprudence” in61 New York University AnnualSurvey of American Law 237(2005). He also completed anew volume covering U.S.intellectual property law for theInternational Encyclopedia ofLaws: Intellectual Property.

Prof. Michael J. Hutter pub-lished an article on New Yorkevidence developments in theSyracuse Law Review.

Prof. Mary Lynch wrote“Designing a Hybrid DomesticViolence Prosecution Clinic:Making Bedfellows ofAcademics, Activists andProsecutors to Teach StudentsAccording to Clinical Theoryand Best Practices,” 74University of Mississippi LawReview 1177 (2005).

Prof. Timothy D. Lytton’s

commentary on gun legislationcalled, “Gun Bill a Messy Mixof Law, Politics,” was featuredin Albany’s Times Union onOct. 27, 2005.

Prof. Alicia Ouellette is publish-ing a paper, “Lessons Across thePond: Artificial ReproductiveTechnology in the UnitedKingdom and the UnitedStates,” co-written with GlennMcGee, Art Caplan, and othersin The American Journal of Lawand Medicine.

Prof. Nancy Ota recently pub-lished “Paper Daughters” in theWashington and Lee Journal ofCivil Rights and Social Justice.

Prof. Patricia Salkin authored,“The Friends of the Court: TheRole of Amicus Curiae in Kelo vCity of New London,” (with L. Lucero and A. Phillips) inEminent Domain Use and Abuse:Kelo in Context (D. Merriamand M. Masaron Ross, eds.)(ABA Press) (forthcoming

20

FACULTYNOTES

Awards andAchievementsProf. Deborah Mann was promoted to associate lawyeringprofessor in the Spring of 2005.

Prof. Joan Leary Matthews hasbeen elected treasurer of theEnvironmental Law Section ofthe New York State BarAssociation.

Prof. Nancy Maurer was nomi-nated for the 2005 NYSARC,Inc. Robert Hodgson/AugustusJacobs Law Award. She receiveda certificate of appreciation fordemonstrating outstanding commitment to improving thelives of individuals with devel-opmental disabilities.

Prof. Nancy Ota was re-electedto serve another term on theboard of governors for the Societyof American Law Teachers.

Prof. Alicia Ouellette wasappointed the director of theHealth Law and Ethics Programat the Alden March BioethicsInstitute at Albany MedicalCollege. The institute bringstogether faculty from 14 institutions and publishes thetop peer-reviewed journal inbioethics in the country.

Prof. David Pratt has been electedto the board of directors of theAmerican Society of PensionProfessionals and Actuaries(ASPPA). He was also namedChair of the Tax Committee ofthe N.Y. State Bar Association,Trusts & Estates Law Section.

James D. Redwood was one of six finalists for the FlanneryO’Connor Award for ShortFiction for his unpublishedbook of short stories LoveBeneath the Napalm.

Prof. Patricia Salkin has beenappointed to the American BarAssociation House of Delegatesto represent the State and LocalGovernment Law Section. Shewas also appointed chair of a newspecial task force on eminentdomain by New York State BarAssociation President VincentBuzard. She is currently servinga two-year term on the ABANominating Committee and shewas on the faculty of the 2005ALI-ABA Land Use Institute.

Prof. Evelyn Tenenbaum becamea member of the advisory boardfor the Sage Graduate Programsin Management. She has alsojoined the core faculty of thenewly formed Alden MarchBioethics Institute.

ProfessionalServiceProf. Ira Bloom participated in a drafting session involvingDivision VI (Powers of Appoint-ment), Restatement of the Lawof Property (Wills and OtherDonative Transfers). The sessionwas held at the American LawInstitute’s offices in Philadelphiain September.

Prof. Bridgit Burke, director ofthe Civil Rights and DisabilitiesLaw Project, testified before ajoint Legislative AssemblyHearing (Taskforce on People

with Disabilities/Committee onOversight Analysis/Committeeon Health) in November on thedelays in the N.Y. HealthDepartment’s prior approvalprocess and the fair hearingprocess for funding the medicallynecessary durable medical equipment needed by individualswith disabilities to prevent institutionalization, chronic pain and lack of integration into the community.

Prof. Stephen Gottlieb, as president of the Capital RegionNew York Civil Liberties Union,presented the Carol S. KnoxAward to William Schurtmanfor his pro bono handling ofa four-year long Freedom ofInformation litigation culmi-nating in N.Y. Civil LibertiesUnion v. City of Schenectady, 2 NY 3d 657 (2004) inNovember. The award wasestablished to honor Carol S.Knox, wife of Lee Wasserman’83 and a community activistand civil libertarian who died an untimely death.

Prof. Sheldon Halpern, as amember of the American LawInstitute, participated in a special meeting on “IntellectualProperty: Principles GoverningJurisdiction, Choice of Law, andJudgments in TransnationalDisputes” in January 2006.

Prof. Michael J. Hutter was inBangkok, Thailand, at the invi-tation of the Thailand SupremeCourt and its Criminal Divisionfor the Prosecution of PoliticalFigures for Corruption. With a

21

FACULTYNOTES

2005); and “Back toKindergarten: Pay Attention,Listen and Play Fair with Others—Skills that Translate intoEthical Conduct in Planningand Zoning Decisionmaking—A Summary of Recent Casesand Decisions on Ethics in Land Use Law,” 37 The UrbanLawyer 573 (Summer 2005).Prof. Salkin’s article on eminentdomain in the aftermath ofthe Kelo case appeared in thesummer issue of the MunicipalLawyer, published by the NewYork State Bar Association’sMunicipal Law Section. An article on ethics in land useappeared in the August issueof Planning and EnvironmentalLaw, published by the AmericanPlanning Association.

Prof. Sandra M. Stevenson, incollaboration with co-authorsfrom the law schools ofWashington University,Northwestern University, St.Louis University, University ofNorth Carolina, and GeorgiaState University, has completedthe sixth edition of the leadingtext, State and Local Governmentin a Federal System (LexisNexis,2006). She also revised severalchapters for her multi-volumetreatise, Antieau on LocalGovernment Law, Second Ed.,which has recently been citedby the Supreme Courts ofNebraska, Alaska, Washington,and by an Arizona Court.

federal judge, a former prosecu-tor and a defense counsel, hepresented programs to the Thaijudges regarding how the UnitedStates prosecutes public officialson corruption charges and thetrial of such cases.

Prof. Sandra Stevenson attendeda “Meet the Authors” session atthe American Association ofLaw School’s annual conventionin Washington, D.C., in Januaryfor her books.

PresentationsProf. Melissa Breger presentedan evidence lecture to courtattorneys in September andNovember on behalf of the New York State Judicial Institute.

Prof. Joseph M. Connors

presented “Advocating forAdolescents with Mental Illness”to a network of school districtand social services administra-tors in December. In January,Professor Connors and HealthProject graduate law internNoelle Pecora ’05 presented“Navigating the Systemwhile Living with Cancer”at Gilda’s Club, a communityresource center.

Prof. Patrick M. Connors

presented the “Ethics andProfessionalism” componentof the New York State BarAssociation’s Update 2005Program in Syracuse, N.Y.He also presented the “EthicsUpdate” at the N.Y.S. BarAssociation’s Seventh AnnualInstitute on Public Utility Lawin Albany. He presented the“Ethics and Professionalism”portion of the N.Y. State BarAssociation’s Update 2005Program in New York City.

Prof. Harold Dubroff deliveredthe Nancy M. Sills MemorialLecture, “What to do if the IRS

Audits Your Return,” at AlbanyLaw School’s Senior CitizensLaw Day in October.

Prof. James Gathii presented“The Stakes of WTO Reform”at a workshop for the faculty ofthe Law University of Nairobi in July.

Prof. Stephen Gottlieb spoke on“The Legacy of the RehnquistCourt” at a faculty memberseminar at Rockefeller Collegeof the University at Albany. Healso spoke to the congregation atMasjid As-Salem in Albany, N.Y.,on the subjects of equal protec-tion and immigrants’ rights.

Prof. Peter Halewood presentedtwo lectures and conducted distance-learning workshops oninternational trade law at theInternational Development LawOrganization in Rome, Italy, withlawyers in Uganda and Kenya.

Prof. Sheldon Halpern spoke onthe Supreme Court’s trademarkjurisprudence at Albany LawSchool in November. InFebruary, he presented a work-shop on trademark law at theWilliam Mitchell School of Law in St. Paul, Minn.

Prof. Michael J. Hutter

participated in the 2005Summer Judicial Seminar forthe N.Y. State Trial Judges. Hepresented the civil and criminalevidence and the Crawford v.Washington updates, and partic-ipated as a panelist in a programinvolving the presentation ofexpert testimony.

Prof. Katheryn Katz presented a paper, “Parenthood from theGrave: Postmortem GameteRetrieval” at the University of Chicago Legal Forum,“Definitions and Decision-making,” in October.

22

FACULTYNOTES

Prof. Timothy D. Lytton spokeat a conference on self-defenseand firearms at George MasonUniversity School of Law inNovember. Also in November,he spoke on the impact of gunlitigation on public health policyat Brooklyn Law School.

Prof. Gregory Mandel presented“Biomedical Patents andBiologic Generics” at “TheEvolution and Reform of U.S.Patent Law: Appraisals andCritiques from the Bar, theBench, and Academia,” hostedby the Center for Law,Technology & Communicationsat Thomas Jefferson School ofLaw and Qualcomm, Inc. Healso presented “PromotingEnvironmental Innovationthrough Intellectual PropertyInnovation” at the IntellectualProperty Scholars Conference atCardozo Law School.

Prof. Joan Leary Matthews

presented “Successful Strategiesfor Watershed Protection” atPace Law School in October.

Prof. Joan Leary Matthews andProf. Alicia Ouellette presenteda session on teaching writing inupper-class courses at the NewEngland Consortium of LegalWriting Teachers RegionalConference, hosted by AlbanyLaw School.

Prof. Alicia Ouellette presenteda lecture, “Disability and theEnd of Life,” at the Universityof Dayton Law School. She alsopresented at Union College on“Abortion and the Law.” In Juneshe presented “Ethical Issues ofFlu Pandemic” at a conferencehosted by SUNY’s School forPublic Health and the RegionalResource Center for EmergencyDisaster Preparedness.

Prof. David Pratt spoke at theLos Angeles Benefits Conference,co-sponsored by the InternalRevenue Service, AmericanSociety of Pension Professionalsand Actuaries (ASPPA), theNational Institute of PensionAdministrators, and the WesternPension and Benefits Conference.

Prof. Patricia Salkin spoke atIndiana School of Law–Indianapolis, for their annualprogram on the governmentattorney-client privilege. Shealso spoke about the U.S.Supreme Court decision in Kelo v City of New London atthe University at Albany.

Prof. Saul Seinberg, director ofthe Science and Technology LawCenter, presented “EthicalConsiderations in Ex ParteInvestigations” as part of a day-long CLE session for theN.Y. Intellectual Property LawAssociation.

Prof. Laurie Shanks taught atthe National Criminal DefenseCollege in Atlanta, Ga. Shecritiqued attorneys in smallgroups and presented a lectureon “Developing a Theory andTheme in a Criminal Case.”The college is an intensive two-week trial tactics program whichbrings together criminal defenseattorneys from throughout theUnited States.

Prof. David D. Siegel and Prof. Patrick M. Connors

presented an “Update on RecentDevelopments in N.Y. CivilProcedure” to the N.Y.S.Appellate Judges Seminar inCooperstown, N.Y. The program, attended by the judges on the New York StateCourt of Appeals and the fourAppellate Divisions, includedpresentations by Professor Erwin Chemerinsky and authorAnna Quindlen.

23

1958

CLASS AGENTS:

Richard A. Frye

Foley, Frye & FoleyUtica, N.Y.ffclaw@dreamscape.com

Matthew H. Mataraso

Pryor Cashman Sherman & FlynnAlbany, N.Y.mmataraso@aol.com

Matthew H. Mataraso was the2005 recipient of the Trustees’Gold Medal Award presented at Albany Law School’s annualBarrister Ball. An Albany LawSchool Trustee from 2001 to2006, the Law School continuesto benefit from his counsel inhis capacity as Trustee Emertiand as a member of theGovernment Law Center’sAdvisory Board.

1959

Hon. James P. King, commis-sioner of the New York StateCommission on PublicAuthority Reform and adjunctprofessor atAlbany LawSchool, hasbeen named tothe N.Y. StateTemporaryCommissionon Lobbying by Gov. GeorgePataki. Before his current role,he served as a Court of ClaimsJudge and was a member of thestate Assembly. Judge King isthe inaugural GovernmentLawyer in Residence for theGovernment Law Center ofAlbany Law School.

1960

Hon. Irad S. Ingraham of NewBerlin, N.Y., retired from hisposition as a New York StateSupreme Court Justice in 1999.He is now a self-employed com-mission portrait artist who haspainted portraits including Hon.Patrick Monserratte, John Baker,former Dean of Albany LawSchool, and many other judgeswho are Albany Law Schoolalumni.

Hon. Angelo D. Lomanto ofGloversville, N.Y., retired in2001 from his position as theFulton County Surrogate CourtJudge. He is currently a JudicialHearings Officer for the NewYork State Retirement System.

1964

Hon. James Harvey ofCanandaigua, N.Y., retired fromthe Ontario County Court inNovember after 30 years of public service.

Hon. Thomas J. McAvoy, U.S.District Court Judge for theNorthern District of New York,recently received the N.Y. StateBar Association’s OutstandingJurist Award for his integrity,fairness, scholarship and respectfor the rule of law.

1965

Paul S. Boylan is a senior partnerat the Boylan Law Office inLeRoy, N.Y. In 2005, Paul wasappointed by Governor Patakito the Commission on HealthCare Facilities for the 21stCentury, where he representedthe Western New York region.

Hon. James B. Canfield of Troy,N.Y., retired as a justice in the3rd Judicial District, completinghis 14-year term.

John F. Rausch retired from theInternal Revenue Service (IRS)in Albany, N.Y., in September2005. He had been an attorneywith the IRS for 40 years.

1966

CLASS AGENT:

Thomas Forrest

Rowley, Forrest, O’Donnell &Beaumont PCLatham, N.Y.t.forrest@frontiernet.net.

Bruce Martin is spending a yearin Morocco as part of theAmerican Bar Association’sCEELI Program. CEELI is apublic service project of theAmerican Bar Association thatadvances the rule of law in theworld by supporting the legalreform process in Central andEastern Europe, Eurasia and theMiddle East.

1968

Hon. Ronald A. Cicoria, thelongest-serving judge in the history of Livingston County, hasretired after 30 years of service.

1969

Hon. George Pulver Jr. wonanother term as Greene CountyCourt judge. Pulver, who willserve a 10-year term, presidesover County Court, Surrogate’sCourt, Family Court, stateSupreme Court, and the county’sDrug and Family Dependencytreatment courts. Pulver hasbeen Greene County Courtjudge since 1996.

1970

Leonard DePasquale is retired from the N.Y. StateComptroller’s Office after 26years in its Division of LegalServices. He was previouslyChief of the InstitutionalEstablishment Section of theN.Y. State Board of SocialWelfare.

1972

Hon. Bernard

J. Malone Jr.,

’72, wasrecentlypromotedfrom N.Y.State SupremeCourt justice to the AppellateDivision, First Department,where he will preside over casesin Manhattan and the Bronx.Judge Malone, appointed byGov. Pataki to fill a vacancy,will serve a seven-year term.

Previously, Judge Maloneserved as a Supreme CourtJustice in the Third JudicialDistrict since 1998. Prior tothat, he served as an AssistantUnited States Attorney in theNorthern District of New York.Malone joins another AlbanyLaw alumnus on the court, theHon. Anthony V. Cardona, ’70,a presiding justice for the ThirdDepartment since 1994.

CLASSNOTES{ S P R I N G 2 0 0 6 }

Please send your news to

alumni@albanylaw.edu. We

will do our best to include

your news in the next issue.

24

Driving Dow Jones’Islamic IndexesAfter Rushdi Siddiqui ’91 created, launched and successfully marketedthe Dow Jones Islamic Market Indexes in 1999, he has since launchedfor Dow Jones specific Islamic indices in Kuwait, Turkey, Bahrain andMalaysia, with several more pending.

While these index groups may sound obscure to the general U.S.investor, all which Siddiqui oversees as Global Director of the DowJones Islamic Index Group, they continue to gain mainstream tractionwith investors and institutions everywhere.

The indices trackthe stock of compa-nies consistent withIslam’s Shari’ah law.Companies outsidethe law fall into the“sin” sector. These arefirms involved withalcohol, pork-relatedproducts, and enter-tainment companieslike casinos, thecinema, most recordlabels, tobacco andeven conventionalfinancial services com-panies like banks andinsurance companies.

“Over the last eight years since its inception,” said Siddiqui,“we’ve seen the shift of potential licensees more interested in compliant components and data and less interested in the identityof board members and religious rulings.”

Most recently Muslim-country stock exchanges and the largestfinancial institutions in those countries are pursuing joint ventureswith Dow Jones indexes for marketing and branding leverage. Thisyear Siddiqui launched an index that combines principles of Islamicinvesting with social-conscious companies.

“Lately we’ve seen established Western companies, like BASF forexample, inquire as to whether they’re listed on our indexes, and ifnot, they ask us how to get on the list,” said Siddiqui.

Siddiqui, who speaks English and Hindi/Urdu, depends on asupervisory board of prominent Islamic scholars appointed by DowJones to create criteria for determining eligibility. Panel memberscome from Syria, Pakistan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and theUnited States.

Siddiqui remembers struggling his early days at Albany Law. “Morethan anything else, law school taught me how to think, and how tomeet head-on downside consequences,” Siddiqui recalled. “It takestime to figure out what works for you, what is right, and what youhave a passion about.”

Dale M. Thuillez of Loudonville,N.Y., was appointed to theAlbany Law School Board ofTrustees for a four-year term.Thuillez is a partner at theAlbany law firm Thuillez, Ford,Gold, Johnson & Butler. Heleads the firm’s litigation depart-ment and provides services ininsurance defense, medicalmalpractice, commercial andpersonal injury litigation.

Wendell J. Van Lare, vice presi-dent and senior labor counsel,will head the Labor Relationsgroup at Gannett Co., Inc. VanLare joined Gannett in 1977from the Rochester, N.Y., lawfirm of Harter, Secrest, andEmery, where he specializedin labor law.

1973

CLASS AGENT:

Phil Curtin

Curtin Law Office PLLC,Manchester, N.H.pcurtin@curtinlawoffice.com

Bruce Wilson has retired fromhis practice in Ithaca, N.Y., after 32 years.

1974

CLASS AGENTS:

James N. Benedict

Milbank, Tweed, Hadley &McCloy LLPNew York, N.Y.jbenedict@milbank.com

Frank H. Penski

Nixon Peabody, LLPNew York, N.Y.fpenski@nixonpeabody.com

Dennis J. Tarantino

Kenneally & TarantinoGlens Falls, N.Y.ktarn51@hotmail.com

Paul M. Collins and Thomas

D. Latin have joined Sheehan,Greene, Carraway, Golderman& Jacques in Albany, N.Y.

James G. Held has been namedpresident and chairman of theShop At Home television retail-ing network and its online busi-ness, www.shopathometv.com.Held had served as presidentand chief executive officer at theHome Shopping Network(HSN) and QVC’s executivevice president in charge of mer-chandising, planning, market-ing, new business developmentand strategic alliance.

Thomas O’Connor, partner ofHiscock & Barclay, LLP, hasbeen named the managingdirector of the firm’s Albanyoffice. O’Connor focuses hispractice on commercial litiga-tion and first party insurancedefense.

1975

CLASS AGENTS:

Robert C. Batson

Government Lawyer inResidence, Albany Law SchoolAlbany, N.Y.bob.batson@gmail.comPeter C. Kopff

Kopff, Nardelli, & Dorf LLPNew York, N.Y.pkopff@kndny.com

Donald R. Alvarez of Scottsdale,Ariz., is a senior partner in thelaw firm of Alvarez & Gilbert inPhoenix, Ariz. He is the chair-man of the Maricopa CountyBar Foundation Board ofTrustees and a trustee for theYouth Partners Foundationwhich helps troubled and at-risk youths.

Diane De Furio Foody ofClifton Park, N.Y., is employedby the New York State Officeof the Comptroller in Albany,N.Y., and is active in theSecurities Fraud Litigation Unit. Diane is married to Bob Foody ’76.

A L U M N I P R O F I L ECLASSNOTES

Rushdi Siddiqui ’91

25

Gary H. Lieberman of Las Vegas,Nev., retired in 2004 after 27years of public service workingfor the Clark County PublicDefender’s Office.

Ronald M. McNeil is employedby the U.S. Department ofJustice, Criminal Division asSenior Litigation Counsel forthe Narcotic and DangerousDrug Section. His position inthe Department of Justice pri-marily concerns the prosecutionof international drug traffickers,particularly cocaine traffickers inColumbia. His work for theDepartment of Justice requireshim to make frequent trips toBogota, Columbia.

Michael W. Murphy ofLiverpool, N.Y., is employed bythe National GND USA ServiceCompany, Inc. in Syracuse, N.Y.He has been president of theLiverpool Central SchoolDistrict Board of Educationfor the past two years.

Rory J. Radding is a generalpartner at the law firm ofMorrison & Forrester, LLP inNew York City where he is thehead of the firm’s IntellectualProperty department.

Sharon P. Stiller is now a part-ner at Jaeckle, Fleischmann &Mugel, LLP in Rochester, N.Y.Her focus is in the firm’s litiga-tion department and its laborand employment law group.

1977

CLASS AGENT:

Garrett E. DeGraff

Hiscock & Barclay, LLPAlbany, N.Y.gdegraff@hiscockbarclay.comDonna E. Wardlaw

Wardlaw Associates P.C.Saratoga Springs, N.Y.dwardlaw@wardlawassociates.com

Sherrie McNulty received the2005 John H. Hamilton Awardfor Excellence in Law GuardianRepresentation from theAppellate Division of theNew York Supreme Court forher commitment to clients.

Mitchell H. Pally of StonyBrook, N.Y., was appointed tothe Metropolitan TransportationAuthority Board in June 2005.Pally is currently the vice president for government of theLong Island Association. He isresponsible for all governmentaland community activities of theassociation.

1978

CLASS AGENT:

Kathryn Grant Madigan

Levene Gouldin & ThompsonBinghamton, N.Y.kmadigan@binghamtonlaw.com

Richard T. Cassidy, a founderand director of Hoff, Curtis,Pacht, Cassidy, Frame, Somers& Katims, P.C. in Burlington,Vt., has begun his three-yearterm as a member of the Boardof Governors of the AmericanBar Association. As governor ofthe ABA’s 1st District, Cassidywill represent Vermont, RhodeIsland, Maine and NewHampshire.

Hon. Gregory A. Gates ofBinghamton, N.Y., writes thathe is enjoying his tenth year ofservice as town justice.

Patrick MacKrell has beennamed president and chief executive officer of the NewYork Business DevelopmentCorporation (NYBDC).MacKrell was executive vicepresident and chief operatingofficer for NYBDC.

Kathryn Grant

Madigan,

a partner in theBinghamton,N.Y., law firmof Levene,

Gouldin & Thompson, LLP.,has been named president-electof the New York State BarAssociation. Madigan takesoffice in June 2006.

1979

CLASS AGENT:

Larry P. Schiffer

LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene &MacRae LLPNew York, N.Y.larry.schiffer@llgm.com

From the class agent:Larry Becker, who practicessurety and fidelity law, construc-tion litigation, and bankruptcywith his wife Ellen in Albany,has been involved in a non-profitrestoration of the abandoned St.Anthony’s church into a com-munity arts center. The projectwas started by their daughter, aBard College graduate.

Fred Burr was appointed asTown Justice for the Town ofBinghamton in August 2005and in November 2005 waselected to a four year term.

Krista Gottlieb has been a partner in her present Buffalo,N.Y., law firm since 1990, andeffective Jan.1, 2005, the nameof the firm was changed toMattar, D’Agostino & Gottlieb,LLP. Krista is now striving forbalance with a life outside theoffice now that her name is onthe door.

Thomas D.

Keleher wasinducted intothe prestigiousAmericanCollege ofTrial Lawyers

in October 2005 and inNovember 2005 was elected tothe Executive Committee of hisfirm, Bond Schoeneck & KingLLP, where he continues to head up the trial practice. Tom’s sonRyan is a first year student at Albany Law School.

Larry Schiffer,

a partner atLeBoeuf,Lamb, Greene& MacRaeLLP in NewYork City, is

now serving as President of theNational Alumni Associationand was named as a “Leader”in the Insurance category(New York) of the ChambersUSA 2006 guide to lawyersand law firms.

Don Twietmeyer was “elected” as a New York Fellow of theAmerican Bar Foundation in2005. He still serves as a direc-tor of the Foundation of theMonroe County Bar, Chair ofthe Tax Section of the MonroeCounty Bar (and co-chair of theTax Section’s 40th Rochester TaxInstitute held on Nov.18, 2005),and director of the RochesterGeneral Hospital Foundation.He is “of counsel” to theRochester office of Hiscock &Barclay, LLP.

In other news:Patrick J. Curran has beennamed executive director of theEnergy Association of New YorkState. Previously, he was theassociation’s vice president andassistant general counsel.

James McCarty was recentlynamed first deputy district attorney by Westchester CountyDistrict Attorney Janet DiFiore.He will serve as chief of trialoperations and directly overseeall trials in the superior andlocal courts.

26

F. Douglas Novotny has beennamed partner in the Albanyoffice of the law firm Wilson,Elser, Moskowitz, Edelman &Dicker LLP.

1980

Frank L. Fernandez wasthe 2005 recipient of theDistinguished Alumni Awardpresented at Albany Law’s annualBarrister Ball. Fernandez is currently the executive vice president, secretary, and generalcounsel to Home Depot, Inc.headquartered in Atlanta.

Mark S. Gorgos has been electeda Fellow of the American BarFoundation. Gorgos is a manag-ing partner in the Binghamtonlaw firm of Coughlin & GerhartLLP. He also practices law in the areas of commercial law,municipal and education law,and creditor bankruptcy.

Francie R. Gorowitz has joinedKatten Muchin Rosenman LLPas a partner in its intellectualproperty and entertainment andmedia practices in Los Angeles.

V. Russell Patience of AppleValley, Minn., is vice president of strategic licensing for theThompson West Company.

John W. Prizzia has joined theKingston, N.Y., law firm ofRusk, Wadlin, Heppner &Martuscello as a senior associate.His practice will be concentrat-ed in the area of commercialtransactions, real estate, trusts,estates and surrogate’s courtlitigation.

1981

CLASS AGENT:

Richard A. Reed

New York State Office ofGeneral ServicesAlbany, N.Y.Richard.Reed@ogs.state.ny.us

Stephen G. Schwarz, a partnerin the firm of Faraci Lange LLPof Rochester, N.Y., has becomea Fellow of the AmericanCollege of Trial Lawyers, one of the premier legal associationsin America.

1982

McKen V. Carrington has beenappointed dean of ThurgoodMarshall School of Law inHouston, Texas, after serving asthe interim dean from May2002-May 2005. Previously,Carrington served the lawschool in other administrativecapacities, including associatedean for academic affairs from1992-1995 and associate deanfor administration from 1987-1992. He has been a member of the law school’s faculty since1991.

Christine M. Galvin, a partnerin the Latham, N.Y. law firmof Gordon, Siegel, was honoredwith the Sister Maria N. DolanAward for HumanitarianServices by Hispanic OutreachServices, an agency of CatholicCharities of Albany, N.Y.

Richard A.

Kaplan, a triallawyer at theChicago lawfirm BrinksHofer Gilson& Lione, hasbeen named an “Illinois SuperLawyer” in a survey conductedby Law & Politics magazine. Thepublication surveyed more than 47,000 Illinois attorneys,representing 65 areas of practice,and asked them to identify thebest Illinois lawyers they hadpersonally worked with or hadobserved in action.

CLASSNOTES

1983

CLASS AGENT:

Martha Miller

General Electric CompanyErie, PAmartha.miller@trans.ge.comJameson P. Wells

Wells & Daisley, PACharlotte, N.C.jwells@wdlawoffice.com

Hon. Colleen Quirion is stillworking at Albany Family Courtand has been in her currentposition (Support Magistrate)for nearly 15 years.

Elizabeth Van Nest now serves as vice president for legal affairsfor the Albany, N.Y.-basedCommission on IndependentColleges and Universities (cIcu).She will continue as cIcu’s gen-eral counsel, a position she hasheld since 1985. Van Nest spe-cializes in statewide regulatory,legislative and governance issuesinvolving cIcu’s members andboard.

Peter Wilson of Chapel Hill,N.C., has been promoted tomanaging director of RSMMcGladrey, Inc., in Raleigh.Wilson joined the business con-sulting, accounting, and tax firmin 2003. As a member of RSMMcGladrey’s National Tax office,he is responsible for tax practicequality assurance and profes-sional standards matters.

1984

CLASS AGENTS:

Barbara D. Cottrell

U.S. Attorney’s Office, NorthernDistrict of New YorkAlbany, N.Y.barbara.cottrell@usdoj.gov

Barbara A. Sheehan

Nicoletti Hornig et alNew York, N.Y.bsheehan@nhcslaw.com

Mark V. Dolan has joined thefirm of Napierski, Van Denburghand Napierski, LLP, in Albany,N.Y. He will concentrate hispractice in the defense of com-plex personal injury cases.

Christine K.

Krackeler,

of Menands,N.Y., a partnerin theMenands-

based law firm of D’Agostino,Krackeler, Baynes & Maguire,P.C., has been selected for inclu-sion in the 2007 Best Lawyers inAmerica list. Krackeler concen-trates her practice in appellate law.

James Orband, managing part-ner of Hinman, Howard &Kattell LLP, has been appointedby Governor George E. Patakito a seven-year term on theBinghamton University Council.The council reviews budgetrequests, makes regulations forstudent conduct and reviewsplans for improving faculty, staffand the physical plants.

Joseph B.

Porter ofLoudonville,N.Y., has beennamed vicepresident forlegal and gov-

ernmental affairs and generalcounsel of Excelsior College.

1985

CLASS AGENTS:

Michael Garabedian

Rayano & Garabedian, PC Great River, N.Y.mgarabedian@rayanogarabedian. com

Elaine Crosson of Lloyd Harbor,N.Y., writes that she has beendeputy counsel at Long IslandUniversity for the past sevenyears. Her husband, MatthewT. Crosson, is president of theLong Island Association.

27

Francis G. Hoare of Loudonville,N.Y., was formerly counsel andchief of staff to AssemblymanHerman D. Farrell, who chairsthe Assembly’s Ways & MeansCommittee and the New YorkState Democratic Party. In2003, Francis served in Iraq as a major in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps,where he was honored with the Bronze Star Medal.

Richard E. Honen, managingpartner at the Albany law firmHonen & Wood, P.C., has beentapped by publisher LexisNexisMatthew Bender to compile andedit the Practice Insights to theLexisNexis online versions of theN.Y. State Business CorporationLaw, the N.Y. State LimitedLiability Company Law and the N.Y State Not-for-ProfitCorporation Law. Contributorsinclude Honen & Wood partner Kelly Mooney Lester

’93 and corporate associateBenjamin M. Farber ’99.

Reverend Dorothy Burton

Pearlman of Buffalo, N.Y.,writes that over six years ago,she received her Masters ofDivinity and became aPresbyterian Church (USA)minister. Currently, she is pastor of the Maryvale DrivePresbyterian Church inChecktowaga, N.Y., a suburb ofBuffalo. Her legal work includesrepresenting the Presbytery ofWestern New York in ecclesias-tical matters when they arise.

Martha Villanigro-Santiago ofFairfax, Va., writes that she iscurrently the deputy director ofFairfax County’s Office ofEquity Programs.

Hon. Bruce J. Wagner ofCastleton, N.Y., is employed byMcNamee, Lochner in Albany.Since 2005, he has been a facultymember of the Town & Village

Justices Continuing JudicialEducation program.

1986

CLASS AGENT:

Gregory V. Serio

Park StrategiesAlbany, N.Y.gserio@parkstrategies.com

Patrick M. Sheller has beennamed Eastman KodakCompany’s first compliance officer. He will be responsible forensuring that Kodak’s complianceprograms and policies continueto meet the highest legal, regulatory and ethical standard;monitoring adherence to theseprograms and policies; workingwith regulatory agencies oncompliance matters; and imple-menting compliance awarenessprograms and training.

1987

CLASS AGENT:

Sean M. Doolan

Hinman Straub P.C.Albany, N.Y.seand@hspm.com

Margaret C. Tabak was awardedThe Legal Project’s Stanley A.Rosen Memorial Award for herservice to victims of domesticviolence. She is a Capital DistrictWomen’s Bar Association(CDWBA) director, and co-chairof CDWBA’s sole practitioners/small firm committee, and apast president of CDWBA.

1988

CLASS AGENT:

Christopher R. Lyons

Ryan & Smallacombe, PLLCAlbany, N.Y.clyons@ryansmallacombe.comDaniel J. Stewart has joined theQueensbury, N.Y., law firm ofBrennan & White LLP. Stewarthas been partner with the Albanylaw firm of Dreyer BoyajianLLP for the past 15 years. He is an adjunct faculty member

When PassionCalls Outside the Law Steven Errick ’89 studied Englishliterature in college, expecting to takeover his family’s Manhattan printingand typesetting shop in 1985. That’swhen desktop publishing emergedto drive the family business out-of-business.

“I chose to pursue a law degree and thought I’d start a little practicein the Adirondacks or Vermont, where I loved living,” said Errick. “Isaw myself eventually running a used bookstore and a small publishingcompany on the side—my real love.”

But during his time in law school he recognized that he lacked apassion that he witnessed in other students. “I struggled in embracingthe idea of practicing law,” said Errick. “I remember two classmates:Michael Garcia and Mike McDermott, who clearly loved learning law.All this time I knew I did not have that same passion for practicinglaw. So in my third year I realized I had two choices: I could be amediocre attorney; or I could pursue a career in publishing with aneye toward making the best use of what law school taught me.”

After law school Errick landed a job in Manhattan’s West Village as aneditor developing manuscripts for legal practice publisher Clark BoardmanCallaghan. Several more publishing jobs led him to his current spot withAspen Publishing—formerly Little Brown—overseeing their legaleducation division, which now includes Aspen Casebooks (Dukeminier),Emanuels, and Casenotes. “The chance to oversee the leading legaleducation publishing company in the market, with over 300 casebooksand another 200 study aids has been everything I could have hoped for.”

Errick, with his family, recently purchased an old mason lodge andturned it into Book and Leaf, a used bookstore in Westport, N.Y., onLake Champlain, which they operate on and off during weekendsand summer hours.

And more central to his original dreams, Errick, with his father anda third party, launched a legal history independent press called TwelveTable Press that publishes two to three books a year on “great legalindividuals in law” (www.twelvetablespress.com). One of their books,Crusaders in the Courts, by Jack Greenberg, one of the last living attor-neys from Brown v. Board of Education, has been optioned into amovie with New Line Cinema with filming to begin December 2006.

Did Law School Matter?“It’s essential I understand about 100 subjects in law—I’m a mile wideand an inch deep and this is good. But, I combine this with great detailabout the publishing process, which few of my publishing peers canreference equally,” said Errick.

In the course of his work he’ll cross paths with Albany Law profes-sors Alex Seita and Dan Moriarty. “Professor David Siegel and I wentfor a walking tour of the West Village last fall. This past January I metSheldon Halpern at an Aspen author party. . . . I only hope they don’tremember me from my days at school.”

A L U M N I P R O F I L E

Steven Errick ’89

28

of Albany Law School andteaches in the area of civil rightslitigation. Stewart’s practice hasan emphasis on state and federallitigation including civil andcriminal matters, employee andlabor matters, discriminationand civil rights violations andmunicipal law.

1990

CLASS AGENT:

Jon A. Dorf

Dorf, Karlen & Stolzar, LLPMamaroneck, N.Y.jdorf@dorflaw.com

From the class agent:Kathleen Resnick Arnold ofAlbany is employed by NewYork State Office of theAttorney General in Albany.

John Burke Doar of WestHartford, Conn., writes that heis the Vice-President of Salesand Marketing at Trumpf, Inc.in Farmington, Conn.

Heather Nowicki recentlyreceived her M.B.A. from theUniversity at Albany, after trav-eling to Argentina in October2004 to study the country’s pesocrisis of 2002. She studied inthe part-time program whileworking for New York StateComptroller’s Office, where sheserved as counsel to New York’s529 College Savings Program.

Frank C. Sarratori of Troy, N.Y.,writes that in May of 2004 heassumed the position of seniorvice-president and general coun-sel for Pioneer Savings Bank.

David R. Juneau has joinedthe Albany, N.Y., law firm ofMcNamee Lochner Titus &Williams P.C. as a shareholderand head of the firm’s real estatedepartment. McNamee LochnerTitus & Williams P.C. hasrecently merged The JuneauLaw Firm into its practice.

Andrew S. Turret, of Cheshire,Conn., has been appointed themanaging attorney of LibertyMutual Group’s New Haven,Conn., field litigation office,now known as the Law Officesof Turret and Brennan. Andrewjoined Liberty Mutual as a trialattorney in 2000.

1991

CLASS AGENT:

William J. McCann, Jr.

New York State Board ofElectionsAlbany, N.Y.wmccann@elections.state.ny.us

Michael J. Masino of Fairport,N.Y., will be inducted into theJPMorgan Chase ScholarshipBasketball Tournament Hall ofFame. Masino, a guard fromHobert College, was regarded asthe Statesmen’s finest player dur-ing their 26 years of tournamentparticipation. Masino is a partnerat the law firm of Harris BeachPLLC in Pittsford, N.Y.

Terri Jo Conrad Regan hasjoined Marvin and Company,P.C. in Latham, N.Y., as amanager in its tax department.

1992

CLASS AGENTS:

Joseph P. Eriole

Veneziano & AssociatesArmonk, N.Y.jpe1@venezianox.com

David Fernandez

Emmet, Marvin & Martin LLPNew York, N.Y.dfernandez@emmetmarvin.com

James G. Cavoli has joined theNew York office of the interna-tional law firm Milbank, Tweed,Hadley & McCloy LLP as ofcounsel in the litigation group.

Robert P. Coan has joined theSchenectady, N.Y., law firmParisi & Saccocio PLLC as anattorney. The firm has changed

CLASSNOTES A L U M N I P R O F I L E

Kendall ’95 Moves FromCourtroom to FOX Newsroom By Nicole Soucy

After nine years as a corporate litigator, MegynKendall ’95 moved from the courtroom to thenewsroom. In 2004, Kendall made her debutas FOX News Channel’s general assignmentcorrespondent, reporting on historic stories suchas the retirement of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor

from the U.S. Supreme Court and the confirmation hearings of bothChief Justice John Roberts and Judge Samuel A. Alito.

Before joining FOX, Kendall served as a legal and general assign-ment reporter for Washington, D.C., ABC News affiliate WJLA-TV.During her tenure at WJLA, Kendall covered national and local casesas well as legal issues, including the rape shield law, Megan’s law, andthe juvenile death penalty.

For as long as she could remember, Kendall wanted to be a journal-ist. “I went to Syracuse University for my undergraduate education,and from there I thought I would pursue a career in broadcasting. Butonce I got to college I was drawn to political science, and soon myfocus shifted to a legal career. Before I knew it, I was a litigator.”

While attending Albany Law School, Kendall put her journalismskills to work as editor of the AlbanyLaw Review. After graduating, Kendalljoined Bickel & Brewer in Chicago,and then joined Jones Day, for whomshe worked in New York, Chicago andWashington, D.C. “It was a greatride—I tried cases in state and federalcourt, argued before the federal courtsof appeal, traveled extensively fordepositions and hearings and randomlegal dog-fights—but ultimately, Iwas ready for a change,” says Kendall.

Once Kendall decided to make a career change, she read everythingshe could get her hands on about journalism, television reporting and writing for TV news. She practiced law during the day and tookjournalism classes at night at a local college in Chicago. A friend in the television business helped her make a resume tape.

“When my husband and I moved to Washington, D.C., a shorttime later, I walked into the offices of the ABC affiliate and told thevice president of news who I was and why he should hire me. Thenext thing I knew, I had a job,” says Kendall. She spent part of herweek working at WJLA-TV and the other part at Jones Day, untildeciding to make the full-time leap to broadcasting.

Today, instead of interviewing clients, Kendall is busy interviewingpoliticians and other newsmakers. She says her most memorableinterview was with someone not on the front pages of any paper,but with a man whose son was killed in Iraq while trying to stop ahomicide bomber from barreling into his base camp. “He looked atme so hopefully, wanting so badly for me to understand his son. Thatinterview broke my heart, but also inspired me.”

29

its name to Parisi Coan &Saccocia PLLC, since Coanjoined. Coan was a partner inHiggins Robert Beyerl & Coanwhere he focused on real estatelaw, with expertise in commercialand residential property matters.

Karina M. Thomas is workinghard to keep her estate andbusiness planning practice,Schafer | Thomas, PC thrivingin Denver, Colo.

1993

CLASS AGENTS:

Peter S. Grenis

Law Office of Peter Simon GrenisSyracuse, N.Y.

Adam R. Shaw

Boles, Schiller & Flexner LLPAlbany, N.Y.ashaw@bsfllp.com

Brian D. Casey is married toSusan P. Ciani Casey ’99.

John W. Dietz received a master of laws (LL.M.) degreein insurance law from theUniversity of ConnecticutSchool of Law. At graduation,he was awarded the InsuranceCenter LL.M. prize. Dietz is apartner in the Westport, Conn.,office of Halloran & Sage LLP.

Stephen J. Drohosky was recently promoted to vice president and general managerof Cummings Center in Beverly,Mass. In his new position,Drohosky is responsible for alldaily operations at CummingsCenter, Cummings Properties’largest facility.

1994

CLASS AGENT:

Tracey I. Levy

Proskauer Rose LLPNew York, N.Y.tlevy@proskauer.com

Dana Anagnostou was recentlynamed counsel of the Parisoffice of Kramer Levin Naftalis& Frankel LLP. She practices

international corporate law,including mergers & acquisi-tions, securities, structuredfinance and technology law.

Kimberly Y.

Jones has beennamed theBoston BarAssociation’slabor andemployment

law section liaison to theMassachusetts CommissionAgainst Discrimination(MCAD). She is a member ofthe litigation and business practice groups at the Bostonlaw firm of Looney & GrossmanLLP, where her practice includeslitigation and representation of individuals and corporateclients in employment, ADA,real estate, contract and wrong-ful death matters as well as representation of religiousorganizations in FirstAmendment cases.

Perry Nusbaum has been promoted to vice president ofsales, eastern U.S., to lead theexpansion of SpecificMEDIA,an online media company thatprovides advertisers, marketers,and agencies with technologiesthat pinpoint desired audienceson the Internet.

Sean M. Murphy has beennamed partner in the litigationdepartment in the New Yorkoffice of the international lawfirm Milbank, Tweed, Hadley &McCloy LLP. Formerly of coun-sel, Murphy’s practice focuses oncomplex securities and antitrustmatters.

Kimberly O’Connor has beenappointed New York’s MedicaidInspector General by GovernorGeorge E. Pataki. As MedicaidInspector General, O’Connorwill coordinate the Medicaidfraud, waste and abuse control

activities of state executive agencies whose clients are servedby Medicaid. She currentlyserves as chief counsel to thedirector of criminal justice andis a deputy commissioner andcounsel with the state’s Divisionof Criminal Justice Services.

1995

CLASS AGENTS:

Erin L. Herbst

New York, N.Y.ELH212@hotmail.com

Jennifer P. Hughes

Hobbs, Strauss, Dean & WalkerWashington, D.C.jen389@hotmail.com

Elena Adolphus has beenpromoted to senior corporatecounsel at Pfizer Inc, inNew York, N.Y.

Tamara Kahn has worked as a special assistant attorney general for New York statein Manhattan for the pasteight years.

Susan J. Mitola (formerly SusanJ. Kissel) of Hauppauge, N.Y., is employed by Russo &Apoznanski, Esqs. in Westbury,N.Y., where she is the AssistantManaging Attorney for theNassau County/Suffolk CountyOffice of GEICO Staff Counsel.

Patrick T. O’Connor ofFayetteville is vice presidentat Kopp Billing Agency inSyracuse, N.Y.

Kenneth A.

Rosenberg

has joined theNew Jerseyoffice ofGrotta,Glassman

& Hoffman, P.C. as a seniorassociate. Mr. Rosenberg repre-sents both public and privateemployers in all aspects of laborrelations and employment law.

1996

CLASS AGENT:

Elizabeth Dailey McManus

LeBoeuf Lamb Greene &MacRae LLPAlbany, N.Y.edm8583@hotmail.com

John M. Bagyi has been namedthe New York State Society for

HumanResourcesManagement’s(NYS SHRM)first generalcounsel. As general

counsel, Bagyi will provide legaladvice to NYS SHRM’s leader-ship, and serve as an ex officiomember of NYS SHRM’s gov-erning body. Bagyi was also the2005 recipient of the Donald D.DeAngelis Excellence in AlumniService Award presented atAlbany Law School’s annualBarrister Ball. He is currently amember (partner) with the lawfirm of Bond, Schoeneck &King, PLLC, in Albany, N.Y.

Peter A. Lauricella has joinedthe Albany, N.Y., law firm ofWilson, Elser, Moskowitz,Edelman & Dicker LLP as ofcounsel. As a successful litigatorin state, federal and bankruptcycourts, Lauricella has extensiveexperience handling all phases ofthe litigation process, includingtrials and appeals.

Jennifer Hynek Lawson is nowworking for the New Hampshirefirm of Rath, Young andPignatelli, which acquired herprevious firm, Stalter &Kennedy, P.C. in April 2005.She is continuing to practice inthe area of bonds and commer-cial real estate, as well as generalcorporate work.

30

CLASSNOTES

Steve Natoli continues to workin a private practice in CliftonPark and as legislative counsel inthe New York State Senate. Heis married to Lisa Natoli ’01.

Kimberly A. Steele has beenhired by Oswego CountyNational Bank as vice presidentof commercial sales and corpo-rate counsel.

2001

CLASS AGENT:

Ryan Donovan

D’Agostino Krackeler, et alMenands, N.Y.rtd@dkbmlaw.com

Paul Gomez moved back toCalifornia in 2004 and is nowpracticing in the healthcarepractice group in the LosAngeles corporate office of Paul,Hastings, Janofsky and Walker.

James Marotta, Jr. of Selkirk,N.Y., has been named thecorporate compliance managerfor Farm Family InsuranceCompanies of Albany, N.Y.

Lisa Natoli has been appointedco-chair of the Family andMatrimonial Law Committeefor the Women’s Bar Associationof the State of New York for2005-2006. She has also beenre-elected secretary of theAdirondack Women’s BarAssociation. She is married toSteve Natoli ’00.

2002

CLASS AGENT:

Amy Kellogg

Harter Secrest & EmeryAlbany, N.Y.ajkellogg@aol.com

Hon. Brian R. Haak was electedthe 59th town supervisor forthe Town of St. Johnsville, N.Y.He was also recently appointedto the New York State BarAssociation’s Committee onCourt Operations.

Brandy B. (Tucker) Murphy ofBallston Spa, N.Y., was recently promoted to assistant counselfor the Albany-basedCommission on IndependentColleges and Universities (cIcu).As part of the cIcu’s expandedcounsel’s office, Murphy dealswith regulatory, legislative andgovernance issues affecting inde-pendent colleges and universitiesin New York state.

Kelly (Carr) Oliver marriedJeffrey Oliver on Oct. 8, 2005,in Milford, Mass. In attendancewere Lisa DiCocco ’03 andDavid Rubackin’02, who alsopresided over the ceremony.

Kristie L. Stromecki is a princi-pal law clerk to presiding justiceEugene S. Pigott Jr., New YorkState Supreme Court AppellateDivision, Fourth Department.

2003

CLASS AGENT:

Lisa Bonacci

NYS Dept. of EconomicDevelopmentAlbany, N.Y.lbonacci@empire.state.ny.us

Adrienne Bonilla was appointeddirector of the office of researchcompliance at the University ofAlbany, SUNY. She is responsiblefor ensuring the universitymaintains a coordinated compliance assurance system for human subjects and animalresearch. She also serves as theresearch integrity officer andHIPAA privacy officer.

Matthew F. Guilbault has established M.F. GuilbaultGovernment Relations in Albany,N.Y. The firm specializes in lobbying, advocacy, communica-tions and public relations.

Kristopher Jones was recentlyrecognized as the Entrepreneurof the Year by Bank of America,the Great Valley Technology

Michael Piecuch recently leftthe Pennsylvania Attorney

General’sOffice tobecome thechief counselto theJudiciaryCommittee

at the Pennsylvania House ofRepresentatives. He is also anadjunct professor at WidenerLaw School in Harrisburg, Pa.

Kenneth D.

Suzan, a seniorassociate inHodgsonRuss LLP’sIntellectualProperty &

Technology Practice Group, waselected to the board of directorsof Buffalo Arts Studio, a non-profit arts organization whosemission is to provide affordablestudio space and regular publicexposure for regional, national,and international artists throughexhibitions. Suzan was alsorecently appointed to a two-yearterm as a member of the YoungPractitioners Subcommittee ofthe International TrademarkAssociation Membership ServicesCommittee.

Molly A. Wilkinson was the2005 recipient of OutstandingYoung Alumni Award presentedat Albany Law School’s annualBarrister Ball.

1997

CLASS AGENT:

Darius Shahinfar

Albany County Attorney’s OfficeAlbany, N.Y.dondarius@yahoo.com

John N. Vagianelis has joinedthe Albany, N.Y., law firm ofSegel, Goldman, Mazzotta &Siegel, P.C.

1999

CLASS AGENT:

Jason N. Cooper

NYS Legislative Bill DraftingCommissionAlbany, N.Y.cooper@lbdc.state.ny.us

Natalie A. Carraway has joinedSheehan Greene CarrawayGolderman & Jacques inAlbany, N.Y.

Susan P. Ciani Casey hasresigned from her position of sex crimes/child abuse prosecu-tor at the Schenectady CountyDistrict Attorney’s Office. She ismarried to Brian D. Casey ’93.

Hon. Julie

Garcia waselected as thefirst femaledistrict attor-ney in EssexCounty. Garcia

was a defense attorney in SchroonLake, N.Y., for three years, andformerly a prosecutor in Suffolkand Rensselaer counties.

Hon. Michelle Holmes Ladouceur

has been sworn in as town jus-tice of Waddington, N.Y.

2000

CLASS AGENT:

Kevin Harp

Ulster County DistrictAttorney’s OfficeKingston, N.Y.kharp@hvcc.rr.com

Tatiana N. Coffinger ofGreenwich, N.Y., is senior courtattorney for the Warren CountySupreme Court. She is a found-ing member and board memberof the Adirondack chapter of theWomen’s Bar Association of the State of New York.

Scott Jones is an attorney withthe firm Boies, Schiller &Flexner LLP in Albany, N.Y.

31

By David SingerThey met on the first day of lawschool. Alphabetical seating putDooley and Downey two seatsapart. Three years later one ushered for the other’s wedding.Twenty-eight years later, aftergoing separate ways for careerand family, they found them-selves sharing a trailer inBaghdad behind “The Palace,”two old friends plucked fromtheir normal lives to land in asurreal time and place.

“It was a little weird, leavingthe trailer together for work inthe morning like we used towalk to class,” said AssistantU.S. Attorney Kevin P. Dooley’80, who, as the Regime Crimes Liaison for the U.S.Government, oversaw a staffof approximately 75 people inIraq, including some 20 attor-neys, and was responsible for

coordinating all U.S. andInternational assistance to theIraqi High Tribunal (IHT) inthe Saddam Hussein trial.

“It almost felt like old times,except we weren’t hitting Ralph’sor Pa’s at night,” said EdDowney ’80, a Colonel in theU.S. Army Reserves, referring totheir younger days in Albany.The two went separate waysduring the day—Dooley to thePalace and Downey to the JudgeAdvocate General offices—butat night after work they’d gettogether to eat, chat about theday and wind down with a DVD.

“The work was challengingand the days were long,” saidDooley. “It was really a benefithaving a good friend there, andit made for a unique bondingexperience.” Dooley, a prosecu-tor since graduating from Albany

Law 25 years ago, called his timein Iraq “the most rewardingwork of my life.” This workincluded uncovering massgraves, supporting investigationsof war crimes, crimes againsthumanity and genocide com-mitted by members of theBaathist regime of SadaamHussein, and coordinating thesecurity arrangements for allparticipants in the process during the Hussein trials. Dooleysaid this work was crucial as partof the process of establishing therule of law in Iraq.

Currently an Assistant U.S.attorney for the NorthernDistrict of New York in theBinghamton office, Dooley wasselected to work for the RegimeCrimes Liaison Office (RCLO),which helps the Iraqis conductinvestigations and trials.

“My wife and I went to Ed’sfarewell party in September2004 before he left for Iraq,”said Dooley, “so when I saw therecruitment email three monthslater, I contacted Ed and heencouraged me to apply for thejob.” Dooley arrived in thecountry in April 2005 as anattorney/advisor to the IHT forthe RCLO, was appointedDeputy RCL in September2005, and became the RCL on Dec. 22, 2005.

Downey’s year in Iraqfocused on building a militarycourt structure based on dueprocess, a system that didn’texist previously. “We assistedthe Iraqis as they drafted a newcode of military justice andhelped train the Iraqi’s, who hadabout 50 lawyers in their mili-tary—equivalent to our JudgeAdvocates. . . . For example,when 100 suspected insurgentsare detained, each one needs tobe afforded due process throughthe Iraqi legal system. Thiswould drive them crazy, becausewhat takes three hours here takesthree days there. You can’t justdrive around from place to place.”

Downey, a Guilderland, N.Y.,resident and lawyer for St. PaulTravelers Insurance, has seen hisfair share of conflict throughservice in the Army Reserves,including tours in Panama,Honduras and nine months inBosnia, Croatia and Hungary asa military defense lawyer. “Eachtime I return back to Travelers,it doesn’t look the same,” he said.

They lived and workedtogether for six months in theGreen Zone, where they bothstated the living conditions werevery decent. The two started andended their days together. Bothdescribed their experience as safe,despite occasional indirect firefrom mortars and rockets, wheredaily chores like preparing foodand doing laundry were takencare of for them by the govern-ment, which provided them withmore time to get in 15-hourworkdays. Much of their workwas done with assistance fromArabic translators.

Laughing at the image of thetwo of them walking to work,Downey said, “There we were,two guys from law school daystogether again trying to put acountry back together.”

Two Law School BuddiesFind Themselves—28 Years Later—Sharing a Trailer in Baghdad

A L U M N I P R O F I L E

Ed Downey and Kevin Dooley together in Iraq last year.

“It was a littleweird, leaving the trailer together for work in themorning likewe used to walkto class.”Assistant U.S. Attorney

Kevin P. Dooley ’80

32

assistant counsel to state Sen. Roy M. Goodman,where she worked on taxation issues. Nucci grewactive in victims of Pan Am flight 103, an organi-zation formed by crash victim survivors to influenceairline-disasters policy and to lobby for the muchneeded change in the law regarding aviation security.

Now, 17 years since Lockerbie, retired, livingwith her husband Tony on a lake in a small villageone hour from Guadalajara, Nucci says she’s livinga good life. “I can’t think of any place I’d rather livethan right here in my little village.”

“There’s a hopeful spirit here. Mexicans workhard and feel very free.” Nucci contrasted this withU.S. living since 9-11. “When bad things happen,we need to turn it into something positive. Youhave to be brave. We’ve changed in negative waysall over the country because of terrorism. And ironically, the least fearful is New York City.” Nucci believes strongly that every compromiseof freedoms on U.S. soil—a slippery slope near-impossible to reverse—provides a victory for theterrorists. “When my son was killed I would notshed a tear in public. I would not give them thesatisfaction of claiming another victim in me,” she said defiantly.

Part of Nucci’s reason to make Mexico herhome is the people’s inherent freedom of spirit,which is expressed in their lifestyles. She describeda scene she witnessed that captures her vision ofMexico: “A man on his donkey, sitting on a woodensaddle, wearing a large sombrero and talking on acell phone. That’s Mexico to me.”

Georgia Nucci ’94 provides interest-free loans tohelp families in her Mexican village build theirown homes. “These aren’t gifts,” she explains on aphone call with Albany Law magazine. “It’s verydifficult for working Mexicans to own a home.Mortgages are practically unknown here.” Nucci helps the village of El Chante families tobuild their own houses. She also helps them obtainvisas, translate documents and negotiate throughthe mire of emigration. Nucci is retired and finallyhas the time to help how and who she wants.

This year Nucci chose to help Albany LawSchool with a $750,000 charitable gift annuityfor the school’s endowment.

Nucci named a stream of reasons for the gift.“The school was a lifesaver to me. They acceptedme in my 50s and provided a haven for me duringa hard time in my life. Now I want to help itgrow.” The school is under-endowed, she said, “I want to help make it easier on students whoneed financial help.”

Nucci’s hard time refers to her loss of two children. Her 18-year-old daughter Jennifer Jonesdied of hepatitis in 1988, and her 20-year-old sonChristopher Jones died on Pan Am Flight 103when the plane exploded above Lockerbie,Scotland, in December of the same year.

Nucci entered law school, but not before adopting four siblings from Columbia, ages ranging from four to 12. After law school sheworked in the Hudson, N.Y., law firm Coffin,Inman, Christiana and Desnoyers, and was the

Emerson FoundationGives School $50,000The Fred L. EmersonFoundation Inc., Auburn, N.Y.,awarded Albany Law $50,000 tosupport the establishment of theEmerson Scholars EndowmentFund to permanently provideannual scholarships to studentsfrom Cayuga County. In theevent that there are no candidatesfrom Cayuga County, the Fundwill then be open to studentsfrom Onondaga County.

“Many Albany Law studentshail from upstate New York andpursue careers in New York,”said Thomas F. Guernsey,President and Dean. “With support from the Fred L.Emerson Foundation Inc.,Albany Law School will be ableto provide financial assistancethat will benefit those students.”

Swyer FoundationDonates to ClinicThe Swyer Foundation Inc.,Albany, N.Y., gave a $50,000grant to support client advocacyeducation and litigation in theLaw Clinic, which providesservices to low-income clientsin the community. The grantwill be paid over two years andwill allow the Clinic to buildresources for advocacy andlitigation such as transcriptsfrom past cases, evidence-relatedequipment and publications.It will also support the costs oflitigation during the summer tooffset the reduction in studentsand faculty on campus.

The Swyer Foundation hasalso made grants to the LawSchool since 1995 for The SwyerAcademic Success Program, anacademic enrichment programconsisting of lectures in the fall,and workshops in the spring forfirst year students.

A L U M N I P R O F I L E

Alumna Donates $750,000 to School,Enjoying Life in Mexican Village

33

Sandman FamilyGives for FellowshipThe family of Edgar A.Sandman ’46 and MargaretSandman recently gave a majorgift in honor of Edgar andMargaret’s 60th weddinganniversary. Edgar, a TrusteeEmeritus of Albany Law School,was chairman of the Board from 1986 through 1990. The familyalso made a gift in honor oftheir parent's 50th weddinganniversary, both times in support of the Edgar andMargaret Sandman FellowshipProgram in Aging/Health Law.

Albany Law students com-pete for the fellowship whichprovides a financial stipendand office at the GovernmentLaw Center.

Hinman, Howard &Kattell Launch NewFellowship with GiftThe Binghamton firm Hinman,Howard & Kattell kicked-offthe effort on Feb. 28, 2006, to endow the Senator WarrenAnderson ’40 GraduateFellowship in GovernmentAdministration and Law with a $25,000 lead gift. The School looks to raise a $650,000endowment in the next two years to support the fellowshipin perpetuity.

The endowment would provide a salary for a recently-graduated lawyer to serve on the staff of the Law School’sGovernment Law Center. TheLaw School will seek support forthe endowment from law firms,alumni, Senate and Assemblycolleagues of the Senator, andmany others who have admiredhim as a political leader andlawyer over the years.

Karin A. McArthur marriedAdam M. Rodriguez on Oct.23, 2004, in New York. Inattendance were Shanon Vollmer

’04, Jennifer Chrisman ’04 andJennifer Besig ’04. McArthur isa member of the Virginia StateBar and an investigator with theU.S. Department of Justice inWashington, D.C. The coupleresides in Alexandria, Va.

2005

Monica M. Agosto was a contributing author to the book Nursing Home Litigation:Investigation and Case Preparation,2nd. Ed., published by Lawyers& Judges Publishing Company.The book was released inDecember 2005. She is currentlyworking as a contributingauthor on another book,Nursing Malpractice, 3rd Ed.,scheduled to be published inmid-2006.

Colin Jay Donnaruma was hiredas an associate at O’Connell &Aronowitz in Albany, N.Y. Hisareas of concentration are healthlaw, administrative law, and con-stitutional law and civil liberties.

Ryan Finn hasjoined the lawfirm of Bond,Schoeneck &King, PLLCas an associatein the firm’s

Albany, N.Y. office.

Jessica Blaine Lewis is currentlyworking with Albany CountyDistrict Attorney David Soares’99 in developing a new nar-cotics eviction unit.

Kyle McCauley married DouglasBelokopitsky on Nov. 4, 2005.Justina Cintrón Perino ’00 wasone of the bridesmaids. Thecouple resides in NorthGreenbush, N.Y.

Bethany Schumann-McGhee wasreelected to a second term serv-ing the 3rd Ward of the City ofAmsterdam on the MontgomeryCounty Board of Supervisors.She is currently working as anassociate at Tabner, Ryan andKeniry, LLP in Albany, N.Y.

Michael Mulé began workingas the Hanna S. Cohn EqualJustice Fellow in September2005 at the Empire JusticeCenter, a new organizationformed by the combining of thePublic Interest Law Office ofRochester, N.Y. and GreaterUpstate Law Project. As part ofthe two-year term, Mulé willfocus on the legal needs ofMonroe County’s Spanishspeaking population. His projectwill include outreach, communi-ty education and legal assistancein the areas of employment,housing, disability rights, educa-tion and civil rights.

Rachel Ryan

joined theAlbany, N.Y.,office ofHiscock &Barclay LLP asan associate

attorney. Ryan focuses her prac-tice on financial services, publicfinance and real estate.

Brendan Wolf, of Troy, N.Y.,is an associate in the law firmof Carter, Conboy, Case,Blackmore, Maloney and Laird, P.C. in Albany, N.Y.

Matthew

Young hasjoined the lawfirm of Bond,Schoeneck &King, PLLCas an associate

in the firm’s Albany, N.Y., office.

Alliance and several chambers of commerce in NortheasternPennsylvania. Jones is presidentand CEO of pepperjamSEARCH.com, a Wilkes-Barre-based search-engine.

Soma S. Syed has opened herown practice, The Law Officesof Soma S. Syed, in Forest Hills,N.Y. Her practice primarilyfocuses on real estate transac-tions, business law such asincorporation, lease negotiation,and immigration.

Jill VanBortel married Daniel

Clemente ’05 in the summer of 2005.

2004

CLASS AGENT:

Crystal Doolity

Cioffi, Slezak, Wildgrube, P.C.Niskayuna, N.Y.cdoolity@cswlawfirm.com

Anthony D. Burrows was hiredas claims counsel for FidelityNational Financial.

Daniel Clemente married JillVanBortel ’05 in the summer of2005.

Elizabeth L. Fairbanks-Fletcher

has opened her own practice,The Law Offices of Elizabeth L.Fairbanks-Fletcher, PLLC, inSaratoga Springs, N.Y. The firmhandles business law; real estateclosings, including title andabstract work; wills and trusts;tax issues; entertainment andtrademark law; as well as divorce,family law and bankruptcies.

Ian C. Lindars of Poughkeepsie,N.Y., hasjoinedMcCabe &Mack LLP asan associate attorney inthe firm’s

litigation department.

ReunionWeekend 2005Over 600 alumni and guests,faculty, staff and students cametogether on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1,2005, for a variety of reunionactivities, including the 10thannual golf tournament, a continuing legal educationcourse, the Barrister Ball, breakfast and toast to our SeniorPartners (Classes of 1955 andprior), a tour of the city by landand water with the Albany Aqua Ducks, rugby games and an alumni picnic featuringthe music of Tim Miller ’01,culminating with class dinnersfor classes ending in “0” and “5”.

The following alumni awardswere presented during theBarrister Ball.

1. Distinguished Alumni: FrankL. Fernandez ’80 and his wifeMaureen.

2. Donald D. DeAngelisExcellence in Alumni Service:John M. Bagyi ’96, with his wifeDania and his mother Barbara.

3. Outstanding Young AlumnaMolly A. Wilkinson ’96, with hermother Carol.

4. Trustee’s Gold Medal Award,Matthew H. Mataraso ’58.

5. Class of ’80 at ReunionWeekend 2005.

6. From left, Thania Fernandez,’85, Betty Lugo ’84, MarthaVillanigro-Santiago ’85.

ALUMNINEWS{ E V E N T S }

1 2

3

5

6

4

34

Stay engaged Stay in touch with

Albany Law School Alumni online atwww.albanylaw.edu/alumni

The National Alumni Association organized its communityservice day on Feb. 11. Alumni, staff and students assistedthe Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York bypreparing previously donated items for distribution intheir Latham, N.Y., warehouse.

Pictured above is Mary Barry ’94.

Alumni, faculty, staff andstudents are gathering in citiesaround the country to reconnectwith Albany Law School.

Professor Daniel Moriarty andAndrew Klein ’92 in Washington,D.C., at an alumni reception.

35

ALUMNINEWS{ E V E N T S }

Alumni, their families and friends attended a reception inthe Empire State Plaza Convention Hall for all graduateswho passed a bar exam. The event was held in conjunctionwith the N.Y. State Bar induction ceremony.

From left, Ricja Rice ’05, Dana Salazar ’05 and Carol Wojtowicz ’05.

Hon. Victoria A. Graffeo,’77 and William F. Collins, ’76,received the 2006 Albany LawSchool Distinguished Alumni in Government Award during a reception at the New York StateExecutive Mansion in Albany.

Professor David Siegel poseswith U.S. Attorney MichaelGarcia ’89 at an alumni eventin New York City.

1936

Maurice T. Brunner, 94, ofRochester, N.Y., died on Sept.23, 2005. He was a retiredLieutenant Commander of theU.S. Navy Reserve. In 1976, heretired as an editor of Lawyer’sCooperative PublishingCompany.

1938

Thomas H. Ivory, 91, ofNorwich, N.Y., passed away on Dec. 8, 2005, at the NYSVeterans’ Home in Oxford, N.Y.Ivory joined the New York StateBar Association shortly after hisgraduation from Albany Law.He served as a naval officer from1941 to 1946. After the war, hejoined the New York StateDepartment of Transportationas an attorney, and worked outof offices in Binghamton andAlbany, N.Y. He retired in 1979and lived in Albany until hemoved to Norwich in 1993.Ivory was a member of theAmerican Legion and a supporterof many local organizations.

Lionel E. Krohn, 92, passedaway on August 31, 2005, inScottsdale, Ariz. Upon admis-sion to the bar in 1939, Krohn

was in partnership with his latefather, Louis E. Krohn, in Utica,N.Y., until he opened an officeas a sole practitioner inOriskany Falls, N.Y. Beforeentering the U.S. Navy inWorld War II, Krohn served as alegal advisor to his draft boardfor which he received theSelective Service Medal. Afterthe war, he continued to prac-tice as a sole practitioner inAugusta, N.Y., until his retire-ment in 1994. Krohn was amember of the New York StateTrial Lawyers Association, theAmerican Trial LawyersAssociation, the Association ofSchool Attorneys and formerpresident of the Central NewYork Kennel Club.

1939

Neils K. Pedersen, 95, ofKirkwood, N.Y., passed away on Dec. 18, 2005. Pedersenpracticed law in Binghamton formore than 50 years. He was alongtime member of the Princeof Peace Lutheran Church inBinghamton, the New YorkState and Broome County BarAssociations, a charter memberof the Kirkwood Lions Club, a member of Elks Lodge #852,and the Kirkwood SeniorCitizens.

1942

Benjamin Fuller Allen, 89, passedaway on Nov. 25, 2005, at hishome in Plattsburgh, N.Y. He started his law career byworking at his father’sPlattsburgh law office and as

a U.S. Commissioner. Later, following a brief teaching career,Allen established his own practice. From 1966 to 1988, he was an attorney for the Stateof New York in Albany. Allenalso served as a local historianand genealogist, publishing anumber of books and articles.He was active in Kiwanis, LittleLeague baseball, and thePlattsburgh United MethodistChurch.

1948

John Abram “Jack” Buyck, 86,of Scottsdale, Ariz., diedTuesday, Jan. 3, 2006. He wasborn in Rochester, N.Y. Beforelaw school, Jack was a naval offi-cer during World War II. In thefinal months of the war hetaught ROTC at ColumbiaUniversity Midshipmen’s Schooland served as a LCDR in theNaval Reserve in Rochester formany years. In 1948, he gradu-ated from Albany Law Schoolwith his Justinian Society Keyand joined the law firm of hisfather-in-law Joseph Corcoran.The firm eventually becameknown as Corcoran, Buyck,Baxter, Springer, Gerace &Fitzsimmons. From 1948-65

he served as Monroe CountySpecial Tax Bureau Director. Healso served as Henrietta TownAttorney from 1951-57 andMonroe County Comptrollerfrom 1965-67. Jack was afounding president of theMonroe County Easter SealsSociety and on its board for 25 years. He served as the firstpresident of the R-H RotaryClub, past commander of theEly Fagan American Legion Post#1151, and general chairman of the 1968 Henrietta Sesqui-centennial celebration. In1985 Jack and his wife, Virginia,retired to Arizona. They volun-teered with Meals on Wheelsand Jack also directed volunteertax preparers at the ScottsdaleSenior Center.

Robert G. Conway, 83, ofDelmar, N.Y., died on July 30,2005. Conway served as a navalofficer in the Pacific duringWorld War II. After graduatingfrom Albany Law School, hewas in private practice andserved as an assistant attorneygeneral in the claims and litiga-tion bureau of the New YorkState Attorney General’s office.Conway was a Little Leaguebaseball coach and a member ofthe Knights of Columbus, theBenevolent Protective Order ofElks, the Veterans of ForeignWars and the American Legion.His son, Robert G. Conway, whosurvives him, graduated fromAlbany Law School in 1976.

Ainard Gelbond passed away on April 11, 2005.

INMEMORIAM

36

By Nicole SoucyThe Honorable ConstanceBaker Motley’s name may notbe as well-known as some othercivil rights leaders, but JudgeMotley’s career was filled withmany historic firsts. The firstAfrican-American woman toserve in significant elected positions—N.Y. state senator(1964–1965), Manhattan bor-ough president (1965–1966)—Motley was also the first blackwoman appointed to the federaljudiciary, serving on the U.S.District Court for the SouthernDistrict of New York in 1966.Along with representing MartinLuther King, Jr., she was thefirst woman to serve as chiefjudge in 1982, and in 1986 sheassumed senior status. She saton the bench until her death onSept. 28, 2005, at age 84.

Albany Law School presentedConstance Baker Motley withthe Kate Stoneman AchievementAward in the spring of 1997. AsJudge Motley addressed AlbanyLaw students, faculty and staff,she described her long, difficultjourney from college graduationto her appointment to theSouthern District Bench.

“If a poll had been taken ofthose least likely to succeed inthe profession, I would have

headed the list,” said Motley.She noted that neither she northe pollsters could have foreseenthat “post war America would beconvulsed by two revolutions,one that carried . . . women intothe mainstream of American life.”

Constance Baker Motleyassisted in leading that revolutionby helping break down political,social and professional barriers.

Breaking Gender–RacialBarriers Judge Motley was born in NewHaven, Conn., the ninth of 12children. Her mother, RachelBaker, was a founder of the NewHaven NAACP. Her father,Willoughby Alva Baker, workedas a chef for the Yale University students’ organizations.

Her interest in civil rightsgrew at age 15 after officialsturned her away from a publicbeach because of her skin color.She plunged into studying political affairs, race relations,black history and the law. Sheearned a degree in economics in1943 from New York University,and three years later a law degreefrom Columbia Law School.

While attending Columbia, agraduating law student suggestedthat she take over his job as thelaw clerk for Thurgood Marshallat the NAACP Legal Defense

and Education Fund (LDEF).After working with the futureSupreme Court Justice throughher graduation from law school,she took a full-time positionwith his legal staff.

Judge Motley played pivotalroles in such landmark cases asBrown v. Board of Educationand James Meredith’s victoriousadmission to the all-whiteUniversity of Mississippi. In the early 1960s, she represented“Freedom Fighters,” who rodeinterstate buses to test the success of desegregation laws.

In 1993, Judge Motley wasinducted into the NationalWomen’s Hall of Fame and in2001 President Clinton awardedher the Presidential CitizensMedal.

Judge Motley broke barriersthat have ensured women a solidplace in the legal profession—and her a solid place in history.

“Becoming part of history isa special experience, reserved foronly a few,” Judge Motley wrotein her autobiography, EqualJustice under Law. “It’s like earning a law degree or a Ph.D.;nobody can take it away fromyou. You may be forgotten, but. . . you will always be there.”

37

I N M E M O R I A M

Albany Law Remembers a Civil RightsTrailblazer and 1997 Kate Stoneman AwardRecipient, Constance Baker Motley, 1921-2005

1949

Arnold L. Mayersohn, 85, ofLittle Rock, Ark., passed awayon Jan. 3, 2005. He served inWorld War II and became aFirst Sergeant in the 78thInfantry Division seeing actionin the Battle of The Bulge. Hewas awarded the Purple Heartand Bronze Star. After graduat-ing from Albany Law, he and hiswife Janet moved to Little Rockwhere he began his career withSterling Stores Company, Inc.He was a long time memberof the Board of Sterling Stores, served on the Boardof Trustees at the Universityof Arkansas at Little Rock,and the Board of Directors ofFirst Commercial Bank.

1950

Stephen J. Banks, passed awayon March 4, 2005, at St. Peter’sHospital in Albany.

Eugene Joseph Malone, Jr., 81,passed away on Jan. 16, 2006.

1951

Wayne M. Harris, 79, ofRochester, N.Y., passed away onSept. 5, 2005. Harris was arecipient of the Bronze Star forhis service as a member of the157th Regiment Infantry, 45thDivision in the EuropeanTheatre, G Company, liberatorsof Munich and Dachau. Aftergraduating from Albany Law,Harris became an accomplishedtrial lawyer and senior partner of

Harris, Chesworth, O’Brien,Johnstone, Welch & Leone,LLP. He was also the founderand President of DeltaLaboratories, Inc., and wasactive in numerous conservationorganizations and has receivedmany commendations for hisefforts. He was a member of the federal, state and local Bar Associations.

William P. Murtagh, 89, ofGreat Barrington, Vt., died onJan.12, 2006. He served as acaptain of the U.S. Army AirCorps during World War II andwas honorably discharged in1946. After graduating fromAlbany Law, Murtagh returnedto Great Barrington and estab-lished a law partnership withGeorge McCormick. He laterserved as town counsel andtown moderator for 25 years.Murtagh was director of thePittsfield Cooperative Bankuntil this past fall. He was amember and former presidentof the Massachusetts BarAssociation, and he belongedto the Knights of Columbus,the American Legion and theAmerican Bar Association.

Peter R. Paravati, 81, passedaway on Aug. 24, 2005, inFruitland Park, Fla. Paravati wasa member of the U.S. Navy andbecame a pilot while stationedin Saipan during World War II.He was discharged from themilitary as a Lieutenant, JuniorGrade in 1949. After graduating

from Albany Law on the GIBill, he began practicing law in1951 and focused on pensioncases in federal court. Later inlife, Paravati enjoyed travelingwith his wife, Jenifer.

1952

W. Joseph Shanley, Jr., 78, ofSaratoga Springs, N.Y., died onOct. 8, 2005. Shanley served inthe Navy during World War II.After graduating from AlbanyLaw, he was a patent attorneyfor 26 years for General Electricin New York City as well as forHarris Company in Melbourne,Fla. He was an alumni associateof both Rensselaer PolytechnicInstitute and Albany Law, and amember of the ELFUN Societyof General Electric. He issurvived by his son W. JosephShanley III, a 1981 Albany Lawgraduate.

1960

Vincent R. Corrou, Jr., 73, ofUtica, N.Y., died on Nov. 17,2005. He was a lawyer withFerris, Hughes, Dorrance &Groben and a partner in Felt,Hubbard, Hopkins, Bach &Corrou and most recently atOriska Insurance Co. Corrouserved with high honors in theU.S. Army from 1955-1957. Hewas also involved in a numberof civic activities including beinga member of the AlumniCouncil at Albany Law and amember of the National Alumni

Association’s Board of Directors.Corrou was also the formerpresident of the Oneida CountyBar Association and a memberof the House of Delegates of theNew York State Bar Association.

Michael Joseph McDonald, 72,of New Hartford, N.Y., died onMay 15, 2005. McDonaldserved as a specialist in theArmy during the Korean con-flict. Shortly after graduatingfrom Albany Law, McDonaldmoved with his wife, Mary, tothe Utica area where he beganthe practice of law with the firmof Helmer and Shaffer.McDonald retired as an attorneyfor Oneida County Departmentof Social Services.

1965

David B. Klingaman, 64, ofTroy, N.Y., died on July 26,2005. He served on the staff ofthe New York State Court ofClaims for 40 years, nine aschief clerk. In January 2006,Klingaman was honored posthu-mously with the New York StateBar Association’s Award forExcellence in Public Service.

1973

Andrew C. Jacobs, 60, ofSchodack, N.Y., and Ponce Inlet,Fla., passed away suddenly onApril 24, 2005. Jacobs practicedlaw in the Capital Region for 32 years.

INMEMORIAM

38

1987

Gina A. Gulotty, 45, of Albany,N.Y., died suddenly on Aug. 19,2005. Gulotty’s distinguishedcareer as an attorney includedworking for New York StateDepartment of Tax and Finance,Deloitt and Touche, the InternalRevenue Service, Teahan &Constantino and the New YorkState Office of General Services.

1977

Michael E. Vacek, 53, ofGuilderland, N.Y., died suddenlyon Nov. 27, 2005. Vacek waswidely known as one of themost influential lobbyists inAlbany, N.Y. He represented anumber of well-known corpora-tions and trade organizations,including the New York StateBeer Wholesalers Associations,the Real Estate Board of NewYork, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco,

the New York BankersAssociation, Yonkers Racewayand Feld Entertainment, AllstateInsurance and the holding com-pany of the Ringling Brothersand Barnum & Bailey Circus.Vacek started his lobbying careerwhile still attending Albany Law.When he wasn’t in class, Vacekworked as an intern for the NewYork State Assembly; after graduating, he became a stafflawyer there. In 1981, heworked for well-known Albanylobbyist Lester Shulklapperbefore going on his own in1989. In 1992, he joined thelaw firm of Hinman, Straub,Pigors & Manning. Two yearslater, he and Shulklapper formedthe lobbying firm Shulklapper& Vacek, which became Vacek,Harris and McCormack last year.

39

Class of 1977 Honors Peter R. PorcoOn Thursday, Nov. 17, 2005, Peter R. Porco ’77 was rememberedby his classmates at a dedication ceremony in the Dean AlexanderMoot Courtroom. In honor of their friend and classmate, the classof 1977 raised funds for new furnishings in the Dean AlexanderMoot Courtroom. Speakers, Hon. Victoria Graffeo ’77, John R. Polster ’77, and Donna E. Wardlaw ’77, remembered the life,career and friendship of their classmate. Peter’s wife, Joan, receiveda standing ovation from the 75-plus attendees.

1982

Bryan P. Cullen, 52, of Albany,N.Y., died on June 21, 2005. As a lawyer for the New YorkState Department of State, theDublin, Ireland, native wascounsel to the office of FirePrevention and Control and anexpert in the field of coastalresource management.

1983

Hon. Joseph R. Cannizzaro,

51, of Albany, N.Y., died onJuly 21, 2005, after a long battle with cancer. Cannizzarowas an assistant public defenderfor Albany County and was anassociate in the law firm ofWertime, Robinson, Ries & Van Ullen. He also served asprincipal law clerk SupremeCourt Justice Joseph Harris.From 1994-1999, Cannizzarorepresented the people of the10th Legislative District and wasthe deputy majority leader from1996-1999. He was elected tothe New York State SupremeCourt in 2000 and was justiceof the court until his death.Cannizzaro served his commu-nity as a Westland Hills LittleLeague coach, a religious educa-tion instructor at St. Catherineof Siena, a member of theKnights of Columbus, theKnights of Pythias, the AlbanyCity School District PTA, theLaSalle Institute ParentsAssociation, the Sons of Italyand the West Albany ItalianAmerican Benevolent Society.

In 1983 Morris “Marty”Silverman decided to attend anAlbany Law alumni reception in Manhattan, not far from hisoffice. After 40 years of virtuallyno interaction with the schoolsince his 1936 graduation,Silverman expected to see a fewfamiliar faces. Instead he knewno one. But that didn’t stop him from handing a $100,000check to a young staff memberof the law school’s AlumniOffice without warning.

“I’ll never forget how muchthat school did for me when Ineeded it most, and how thefaculty members guided mealong,” wrote Silverman in hismemoir, Stepping Stones.

Silverman passed away onJan. 26, 2006, at the age of 93.The check he handed to astranger that day was the firstbrick of many more to come thatwould eventually lead to thepresent complex of campus build-ings called University Heights.

Why Albany?Silverman toiled for six decadesin the trenches with entrepre-neurial chutzpah and old-schoolsweat and tears. From the infamous gas station he builtand ran in Watervliet, to pay his way through law school, tothe mega-millions he createdthrough the telecommunicationsindustry, specifically MCI.

Along the way he earnedPurple Hearts in World War II,virtually invented and built therental industry, and oversaw aninitial public offering thatbrought him to the pinnacle ofhis wealth. With the death of hiswife Dot in 1983, fate turnedhis attention—and dreams—to Albany Law. Specifically to thecreation of University Heights.

Would Albany Law look likeit does today without Silverman’santics? Without his brash,uncanny ability to demand whathe dreamed, what would AlbanyCollege of Pharmacy, Albany

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“A famousastronomeronce remarkedthat there areas many starsin the sky asyou care tolook for—themore you lookthe more youfind.”Marty SilvermanStepping Stones memoir

I N M E M O R I A M

In Memory of Marty Silverman ’36

Silverman was known to hand out$2 bills to friends—and students—with the sticker on it that said,“If it is to be, it is up to me.”

Medical School and the SageColleges look like today?

There are numerous small,undocumented Silverman contributions—financial andotherwise—that pepper the fourcampuses. Then there are thoseinfamous gifts meant to inspirean entire community, mostnotably the largest U.S. prize inmedicine—an annual $500,000Albany Medical Center Prize inMedicine and BiomedicalResearch—and the catalyst for a$200 million University Heightscampus. Silverman sought theUniversity Heights project to belarger and more advanced thanthe Mayo Clinic, certainly adream beyond the typicalAlbany scope.

The story of Silverman’sAlbany Law admission captureswell this ambitious spirit. Callingthe school “one of the best lawschools in the country,” andfamous for “flunking out” 10percent of its students annually,this son of a Jewish Troy tailorskirted the admissions process toavoid rejection. Instead he metdirectly with Dean Alexander.Using charm and nerve, he stated his case to the Dean,who, in the end, responded,“Let’s give it a try.”

Those fated words, whichseem to reflect Silverman’s ownapproach to the world, started achain of events that sent ripplesof fortune through countlesspeople and institutions in theAlbany region and beyond. Now that Silverman has passedaway, some 70 years after hisgraduation from Albany Law,the school remains determinedto play its part in fulfillingSilverman’s vision for a world-class medical and educationcommunity.—DS

“I’ve wanted to go to law school since I was a child, but the stark reality of my life is that law school is tooexpensive for me or myfamily to afford.

Thanks to the generosityof private support atAlbany Law School, I’mliving my childhooddream.

I’m now in my 4thsemester at Albany Law. I am a Judicial Clerk atAlbany Police Court.Previously, I assisted battered immigrant menand women as a legalintern at the EmpireJustice Center and thissummer I plan to studyand intern abroad inCapetown, South Africa.”

Jennifer FilomenoClass of 2007

Your gift to the Albany LawSchool Fund can help otheryoung people like Jenniferachieve their dreams. Pleasevisit www.albanylaw.edu/givingto make your gift online.

Albany Law School80 New Scotland AvenueAlbany, NY 12208-3494

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SAVE THE DATE

August 27, 2006

10th Annual Day at the Races

September 29-30, 2006

Reunion Weekend 2006